Dancing in a Downpour
by Laura's Fantasia
Summary: 6 weeks. 5 girls. 1 car. San Francisco to Chicago. Santana is expecting the trip of a lifetime with her girlfriend Mia and their friends Quinn and Tina - but at the last minute a new girl named Brittany joins their group, and the summer starts to get complicated... Discontinued.
1. Prologue

Prologue

I should have known, with the first dance. Ten minutes of dancing in the rain with that beautiful girl, and I was hooked.

I only wanted to make her smile, at first. I couldn't bear to see her sad, and it was so easy to do something that lit her up. It was like hitting a switch somewhere inside of her - she just became radiant the moment her lips curled upwards. I didn't even need to try - but I tried anyway. I tried every chance I got.

By the time I realised what was happening, it was too late. I'd started falling, and with that I just kept tumbling deeper into her perfect mess of smiles and laughter and kisses and touches. A few weeks was all it took for her to turn my life around. She'd become my centre of gravity; it was impossible to backpedal or even brake. Each new city was another careening step towards her.

I tried to pretend it wasn't happening - but each and every time I attempted to pull myself away, I'd always end up tugged back on course. Then, one day, I couldn't pretend to myself anymore.

She told me you can't choose your soulmate. And I guess she's right. I never chose her. I was hers, and she was mine, right from the very start - I just didn't know it then. But it took me too long to understand that. By the time I figured it out, it was too late, and I was too much of a coward to do the right thing.

I know I should have acted better. I know I shouldn't have made her my secret. I hurt everyone, and now I'm alone… waiting.

I will wait, though. I will wait as long as it takes for her to come back to me.

* * *

**Alright, here goes – my attempt at adding to the many amazing Brittana road trip stories already out there. My plan is to update every week on Tuesday (changed to Saturday), but I'm currently job-hunting so this may change once I actually get employed. Future chapters will also be much longer and have more substance, this is just a short intro.**

**Playlist can be found here: ****tinyurl . com (forwardslash) ****diadplaylist**

**Any other extras I'll be posting on my tumblr here: laurasfantasia . tumblr . com**


	2. Hermit Girl

Chapter One: Hermit Girl

"Hey, Santana? Are you nearly ready?"

I dropped my phone immediately to scurry back to the half-packed suitcase sat in the middle of the room, but Mia was already standing in the doorway when I turned, her expression a mixture of amused and exasperated.

"You've had all week to pack."

"Not my fault someone kept distracting me," I replied with a quirk of my eyebrow, picking up a bundle of clothes ready on my bed and forcing them into one corner of the bag. Mia shifted where she was standing, and I knew she was probably fighting the urge to come over and repack. During the one, very eventful semester we had lived together, my failure to keep anything tidy for more than five minutes had caused more arguments than I could count.

But glancing over now, I noticed that she was staring straight at me rather than at my suitcase.

"Mia? What's up?"

I stood, crossing my arms as I waited for her to explain.

She hesitated, then stepped properly into the room and clicked the door shut behind her so no one could peer in - not that there were many people left on campus now anyway. Classes had finished last week and most of the other students had already fled back to their families, leaving my apartment building very empty - just the way I liked it. There was also the advantage that Mia could stay the night without getting dirty glances from the two sophomore girls who lived across the hall, who had disappeared a few days ago without so much as a goodbye. Mia had just about convinced me they weren't worth bothering with, but many more snide comments and I'd have snapped. Lima Heights never quite leaves you, even when it's 2000 miles away.

"I just got off the phone with Tina."

I nodded, recalling the text I had been reading just a few moments ago.

"Oh, yeah - she just text me, said there was a change of plan. Somewhere else we need to go?"

Mia eyed the ceiling as she shook her head.

"It's not the places that've changed. It's… the people."

I unfolded my arms and stepped around the suitcase so I was closer to her, frowning.

"She's not dropping out, is she?" I asked urgently, suddenly worried. Half the reason I was so excited about this trip was because of the people I was going to spend my summer with. Sure, I didn't know Tina that well - but she was Mia's best friend, and she seemed a pretty cool person to hang out with.

Mia's face twisted as her eyes returned to the ceiling.

"Nope, that's not it."

"So what is it? Just tell me," I said, starting to get agitated. There had to be a reason that Mia was being so slow to explain - and the likely reason was that I wasn't going to like what she had to say.

"Alright," Mia sighed, finally switching her gaze back to staring directly at me. I braced myself for the news. "Tina invited her college friend along."

"She… she _what_?" I could feel the disbelief flooding my expression. Months of planning this trip for four people - people who I knew I could actually put up with for six weeks - and now there was a fifth? "Who? _Why?_ Didn't she think she ought to ask first?" I demanded.

"Look, it'll be fine. I've met her. She's the most likable person. Her family moved to San Francisco from Georgia last year, the only person she knows here is Tina, and her parents are away the whole summer so she has nothing to do."

"So what? It's not our problem this girl has no friends. This trip is meant to be you, me, Tina and Quinn. It's going to be great, just the four of us. And now we have some stranger tagging on?" I objected loudly. It's not exactly hard to make friends or get a job or find _something _to do with your vacation - anything other than butt in on other people's plans. This girl must be some sort of hermit if she really couldn't work out how to spend a summer in California.

"Santana, come on," Mia sighed, reaching out to place one hand on each of my shoulders. The only thing that stopped me shrugging her off was an internal reminder to myself that she was only the messenger. "There's space in the car. We'll save money on gas and hotel rooms - she's said she'll just sleep on an air mattress." Her thumbs moved softly over the bare skin of my collarbone, and I could feel my annoyance slipping away with every stroke. "I swear you'll like her. I wouldn't have said okay to Tina if I didn't think you'd get along."

I rolled my eyes as her hands slid over my shoulders to my back, tugging me closer.

"Tina should've asked us first."

"So you could say no?"

"Exactly. It was perfect just the four of us! Now the car's gonna be cramped and we have some hermit girl tagging along because she's too lazy to make her own summer plans."

"Well you'll just have to learn to pack better," Mia replied, casting a disparaging glance at my suitcase over my arm. I poked her sharply in the ribs and she grinned, leaning in to drop a kiss on my cheek. Her lips shifted to my ear a moment later to murmur quietly.

"It's still going to be the best summer."

"Oh, it will. No way I'm letting hermit girl ruin anything," I assured her with a smirk.

This time it was her turn to roll her eyes as she pulled away, her fingers twirling to point at my suitcase.

"Seriously, you need to finish packing. We're going to be late."

"Don't worry yourself, it'll be done in time."

"Five minutes!" she called as she backed out of the room, picking up my car keys from the table next to the door and jingling them at me before turning to walk out.

I turned to survey the almost bare room, my eyes falling on the giant road map my dad had insisted I get in case the GPS broke. It was open on the northern California page, red marker pen tracing the route we would soon be starting on - first Sacramento to San Francisco, then south off the bottom of the page to LA and beyond. Excitement bubbled up inside of me at the thought of the weeks to come; on the road, seeing new places, with my best friend, my girlfriend, Tina… and this other girl, whoever she was. I didn't even know her name, so I couldn't facebook stalk her to work out just how much of a loner she was. Hopefully she was quiet enough that I could just forget she was there most of the time.

But whatever she was like, I'd been completely serious when I'd told Mia I wouldn't let her ruin our trip. Months of planning, years of dreaming, was not going to fall flat. Whatever happened, I was personally going to make sure that this summer was unforgettable for all of us.

* * *

"See, they're not here yet either. Told you I could make up the time," I said as we entered the cafe, keys twirling in one hand as I surveyed the room. The only other patrons were a family and an old couple.

"I never doubted your ability to speed," Mia replied dryly, stepping up to order. I leaned on the counter next to her, pulling out my phone as she bought coffee for us both and logging into facebook to check the message from Quinn about her flight times. I was about to click out of the app when I spotted a new post on Mia's page from someone I didn't recognise.

_Thank you SO much for letting me tag along - this road trip sounds super awesome! Can't wait to see you again later and meet the others! :D_

I wondered if it was fair to dislike someone so intensely when I hadn't even met them yet. But that one post was already bringing up visions of some over-excitable bimbo who'd never shut up. So much for someone I could ignore. At least I had a name for her now. _Brittany S. Pierce._ I should probably start thinking of her by her real name, not hermit girl, or I'd say that by accident when she was about and have Tina and Mia get upset at me.

"She's nice," Mia said, looking over my shoulder just as I clicked the girl's name. "I don't know anyone who dislikes her."

I stayed silent for a moment, distracted temporarily by the photo appearing on my screen. Tall and blonde. She didn't exactly look like the hermit type.

"You said she's from Georgia?" I asked, attempting to hunt for information but unable to see much without adding her. "Slap bang in the middle of the bible belt?" Just the kind of person I wanted hanging around us for two months.

"Yeah. But she's not like that. She- _Tina!_"

Mia slipped straight past me and I turned just in time to see her barrelling into a familiar, black-and-red-haired girl. Behind them was another girl I vaguely recognised from the photo I had just seen, who smiled cautiously in my direction. I forced myself to smile back as I took in her woolly cat sweater that almost completely hid the tiny pair of denim shorts peeking out from underneath. I brought my eyes quickly up from long, toned legs and found her eyes crinkling a little before her attention turned to Mia, her smile brightening considerably as she stepped forward to hug her. I was similarly distracted by Tina a moment later, who was grinning widely as she approached and wrapped her arms around me.

"Sorry. Couldn't leave her alone all summer," she whispered in my ear - and that was that. I couldn't argue with Tina when she was just being so fucking _nice_.

I shrugged as I pulled back. "This trip's gonna be epic, whatever happens," I promised quietly, even as Tina reached out a hand to pull Brittany forward.

"This is Brittany. Brittany, Santana."

Brittany pushed her hand out, her eyes searching mine, and I reached out to shake it after a slight pause.

"Thanks for letting me come. My summer would have been terrible otherwise. Tubbs would have kept sneaking out to buy cigarettes," she said in a rush.

I stared at her, unsure exactly what I'd just heard. "I… sure. No problem. Good to meet you," I mumbled after I realised I'd been silent for too long. Her lips formed into a shy smile at my words. It remained fixed on her face as she settled into a nearby seat, still looking at me, and I slowly followed to sit opposite. As much as I wanted to hate her for crashing our road trip, it was kind of hard to dislike someone when they wouldn't stop smiling at you like that. I pulled my eyes away from her and found my coffee in front of me on the table - Mia must have grabbed it. I took a sip from it, remaining silent as Tina and Brittany ordered and trying to figure out how exactly I felt about this new addition to our group. She was not what I'd been expecting.

"So how was your journey? How was leaving Sacramento?" Tina asked Mia as she settled back down at the table. I felt a pang at the thought of returning next semester without her.

"It wasn't too bad. It'll be worse at Christmas, I think. New York is so far away."

"It's sad you're leaving just as I move here," Brittany said with a sigh, her fingers thrumming a beat into the edge of the table.

"Well Santana will still be nearby," Mia pointed out. "And you'll be visiting New York, right? To see Artie?"

Tina winced at the same time as Brittany shrugged, her smile faltering momentarily as her attention shifted back to me.

"You're at Sacramento for one more year? And you're doing biochem too?"

"Yeah. Just regular chemistry though. What about you?" I asked. It seemed the polite thing to do. And if I had to live with her for two months, I should probably at least try for polite. She seemed to be doing the same.

"Digital and broadcast journalism. I just graduated," she proclaimed proudly, her smile growing.

"Brittany has this great webshow she makes. Hey Mia, didn't you say Santana did a video presentation for one of her classes?" Tina said, leaning across the table with an expression that immediately made me suspicious.

Mia's face confirmed that I should be worried. "She did. It was amazing. Filmed all her experiments herself."

Brittany was looking between the two of them, but the moment Mia stopped speaking she was fixing me with a piercing, bright-eyed gaze.

"You - you could help! I mean, if you want. I'm going to be filming loads on this trip. We could do an episode together, it'll be fun!"

I vowed to get back at both of them later as I struggled to come up with a nice way of turning her down. Her eyes were sparkling with eagerness, but she was biting her lip like she was trying to restrain herself. Ugh, but I didn't even know how I felt about her being on our trip - I didn't want to get hooked into spending time alone with her. Although I realised a second later that was exactly what Mia and Tina had planned to happen.

"What's your show about exactly?" I asked, buying time.

"People! Lots of people, and their lives. And fondue." This time she couldn't hold in her enthusiasm, her face splitting into a broad grin.

"Fondue?" I repeated, not sure if I'd heard right.

"Well there has to be a common theme, and everyone loves fondue. So we eat fondue, and I ask people questions," she explained, as if it was the simplest concept in the world. "Do you like cheese or chocolate fondue more?"

"I've never had fondue," I admitted. It was like I'd admitted to some heinous crime, the look she gave me.

"You… but… it's the best food there is! Mia, why haven't you given her fondue?" she demanded, turning to look at Mia with her blue eyes still wide.

Mia shrugged, avoiding my gaze as she answered. "Must have slipped my mind. You'll have to introduce her to it all, you're the expert."

Brittany turned back to me, her expression a strange mixture of determined and… teasing? "Well, that's it. You have to be on the show, you have to try fondue."

Mia and Tina were both grinning at me, and I knew there was nothing I could do to get out of this. I nodded my assent.

* * *

"You know you really didn't have to come. You could've left with Tina. You've only been back here a few days, you don't want to waste your time at the airport," I said, glancing in the rearview mirror at Brittany.

She smiled and shook her head, meeting my eyes through the mirror. It wasn't that I didn't want her to be here, exactly. But coming to the airport was kinda boring if you didn't know the person who was being picked up. And didn't her family want to see her?

"No, I want to come, I want to meet your friend. We're together for so long, I need to get to know both of you."

"I… okay," I relented. I didn't know what else to say. I didn't know how to respond to a lot of what she said, I'd noticed. I glanced across at Mia in the passenger seat and found her smirking as she gazed out of the window. She was obviously finding my inability to make heads or tails of Brittany highly amusing. But seriously - hermit girl was bizarre. Somehow 'hermit girl' still fit even now I'd met her and found she wasn't at all the introvert I'd expected from Mia's brief explanation of why she was joining us. She was undeniably different to anyone I had ever met before. Sometimes she'd act like a normal person - but then occasionally she'd come out with the strangest things, and then glance at me like she was worried how I'd react.

The closer we got to the airport, the harder my foot pressed on the accelerator - until Mia reached out a hand to press gently on my arm, and I realised just how fast I was going. It had been too long since I'd seen Quinn, though. Tina had said quietly back at the cafe she'd already told her about the Brittany situation, so at least it shouldn't come as too much of a shock when we turned up at the airport with an extra person in tow. Although I was a little annoyed that I'd been the last to find out.

Parking the car took longer than I'd thought it would. How could such a huge parking lot have so few spaces? By the time we were walking through the entrance to SFO, my phone was already buzzing with Quinn's name flashing up on the screen.

_WELL SOMETIMES I GO OUT BY MYSELF AND I-_

"Calm it Q, we're here," I said before she could get a word in.

"No 'welcome to California, I've missed you'?" Quinn bit back. I could almost see her grinning as she spoke - and then I could actually see it when I noticed her walking straight towards us.

"Quinn!"

"Santana!"

She was laughing as she dropped the handle of her suitcase to pull me into a hug, and I laughed as well as I wrapped my arms tightly around her.

"Sorry we're late."

"I'd have been in shock if you were on time," she replied, pulling back to turn to Mia. "Good to see you again," she said, hugging her briefly.

"And this is Britt," I said, moving to stand next to her. I realised my mistake a second later when Mia sent me a strange look. "Oh, sorry. Brittany."

"You can call me Britt," she replied, sending me another of those tiny smiles. "You're Quinn, right?

"Yep. And you're Tina's friend from UGA? I didn't know you were coming today," Quinn commented as she leaned down to pick up the handle of her suitcase. We began to walk slowly back in the direction of the parking lot.

"I thought I'd come along, get to know Santana, meet you. I can't wait to start this trip," she enthused, another of those wide grins transforming her face. I wondered why she only ever seemed to smile like that at other people, and not at me. "Where are you most excited for?"

Quinn's gaze wandered as she thought quietly for a moment, her eyes meeting mine before returning to Brittany.

"I think the Grand Canyon. I love DC too, but I've been there before. The museums are amazing."

"You've been? Which are the best?" Mia asked, stepping in quickly next to Quinn.

"I think the Holocaust Memorial is the most interesting, but Natural History is great too."

"Ooh, isn't that where they filmed Night at the Museum? I love that film!" Brittany said, pulling my attention away from two of my favourite people and back to her - still someone I wasn't quite sure about. But as I processed what she'd said, I had to smile. I'd watched that movie countless times.

"Me too. But isn't it in New York?"

"Oh, maybe. I don't know. We should watch it before we go, though."

"Definitely. Then when Mia and Quinn are geeking out about fossils we can reenact it."

"You'll get us thrown out!" Quinn called over her shoulder.

"Well we won't be bored," I muttered, still loud enough for Quinn to hear and roll her eyes as Brittany giggled. I grinned at her, and she grinned back, and suddenly I wasn't so nervous about travelling with someone I barely knew. Yeah, Brittany was quirky. But quirky wasn't necessarily a bad thing. And I could tell just from the few short moments I had interacted with her so far that my last statement was entirely true; travelling with Brittany in tow was not going to be boring.

* * *

"Mia, Santana!"

I braced myself for a crushing hug from Lin as she crashed towards us the moment the door opened, pushing past her brother who just sighed.

"Hey Tyler!" Mia called to him over Lin's shoulder as she hugged us. He lifted one hand in a brief wave then disappeared up the stairs without another word. "Still sulking?" Mia asked Lin.

She nodded, rolling her eyes.

"Mom won't un-ground him till the car's completely fixed, and he has no money to pay for the repairs so he's stuck here. Oh, hi!" she added, peering past us to see Brittany helping Quinn with her bag. She finally dropped her arms from our shoulders to grab Brittany into a hug, and then without pausing did the same for Quinn.

"This is my friend Quinn. And this is Lin, Mia's sister," I explained to a slightly bemused Quinn. I'd learnt very soon after meeting Lin to expect hugs on a regular basis, frequently without any apparent cause.

"Where's dad?" Mia asked as she stepped into the house, slipping off her shoes and dropping her bag to the floor. I kicked off my shoes next to hers and followed the two sisters into the cramped lounge.

"Oh, he went shopping. Mom left him this long list of stuff you'd need for your trip."

"What? I told her I'd get everything!"

Lin grinned and shook her head. "Come on, you know she's not going to let you head off without a crate full of medicine you'll never use. Oh, and she got out a couple of sleeping bags before work, they're in the corner."

Mia glanced at me but said nothing, just nodded. The silence was interrupted a moment later by a loud chorus of Yeah Yeah Yeah.

_OFF WITH YOUR HEAD, D-DANCE DANCE TILL YOU'RE DEAD-_

"Tina, hi! Where are you?"

I plopped onto one of the old but very comfy sofas, pulling Quinn down next to me by her arm. Brittany settled cross-legged on the floor opposite, leaning against the wall and stretching her arms out to either side. She looked kind of like a cat basking in the sun.

"So when do we start?" she asked, bringing her arms back down to her sides and resting her head on the wall, smiling up at us.

"We need at least tomorrow to get ready. And I need to see my parents - Tina does too," Mia said from the doorway, pushing her phone back into her pocket.

"I kind of want to see San Francisco before we head off," Quinn added with a shrug, tilting her head to look at me hopefully.

"I can take you around tomorrow. I'll show you the interesting parts, not just the museums," I teased. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Brittany droop a little where she was sitting. I turned my attention to her and found her examining the carpet.

"Don't your parents want to see you before you disappear for the summer?" I asked. She'd been with us the whole day, surely they wanted to see her at some point before she left for two months.

She lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug, her lips thinning. "They already left. I didn't get to see them."

Damn her for looking so pathetically sad. Quinn glanced across at me and I inclined my head, trying not to sigh. I already knew what she was about to do.

"Well, you could come with us if you want. You've probably seen everything before, but it beats sitting in your house alone," she offered.

Brittany's face lit up so suddenly it was like someone had hit a switch inside her.

"Really? You wouldn't mind?" she asked, her eyes focusing on me rather than Quinn.

I had been looking forward to a day catching up with Quinn, but how could anyone deny that face?

"Course not. Like you said, we should get to know each other. It'll be fun."

How had I gone from hating this girl's guts to inviting her along to a day in San Francisco in the space of about twelve hours?

* * *

**Earlier update than I thought because I managed to get myself 3 and a half chapters ahead. Also because I'd prefer to have my updating day on a weekend. **

**Thanks to Nee for looking over the chapter :)**


	3. Wake me up in San Francisco

Chapter Two: Wake me up in San Francisco

"Mia. Mia, wake up."

I squinted through the darkness as I felt Mia stir next to me. Realising her mom was standing next to the bed, I quickly retracted my arm from around her. It was an automatic reaction. I knew her family knew about us, but there was no need for them to see anything they didn't want to. I buried my head into the pillow, trying to pretend I was somewhere else as Mia's mom whispered to her about being back from work for a family lunch. I heard the door click shut, and the room was quiet for a few moments before Mia spoke.

"You don't need to do that."

I tried playing innocent, turning my head to blink sleepily up at her.

"Hmm?"

She sighed, sitting up and swinging her legs out of the bed.

"You don't need to hide. My parents like you."

I dropped the pretence. "You say that. But she still put out a separate sleeping bag for me."

"Yeah, because my bed is tiny and we barely fit in it. If we can't be normal around _my_ parents, what are you going to do when we get to Lima?"

I shrugged, sitting up quickly to roll out of the other side of the bed and trying to ignore the clenching in my gut at the reminder.

"You're still planning to tell them, right?"

I turned around to face her and forced a smile.

"Course. I said I would, didn't I?"

She smiled, reaching over the bed to clasp my hand.

"Good. Because I can't wait to meet them, and for them to actually know who I am."

I kept the smile on my face as I squeezed her hand, then pulled away to pick up my bag just as three loud knocks echoed through the house. I straightened, twisting where I stood to pull one corner of the faded curtain aside. Peering down, I found a blonde head at the top of the steps next to the front door.

"Why is she here already? It's 7.30!"

Mia laughed, reaching past me for her hairbrush and glancing out of the window. "Mornings don't bother Brittany. Last summer me and Tina were constantly getting texts to ask if we were awake yet at some ridiculous hour."

"Great, can't wait for that," I muttered, dropping the curtain and turning towards the door. Mia's hand caught my arm before I'd taken more than two paces.

"Hey, Santana. Thank you."

I raised a questioning eyebrow.

"For letting her go with you guys today. She really doesn't know many people here yet, she'd have been miserable stuck at home otherwise."

I tried to brush her words off. "It's no big deal. Got to get used to her being around, haven't I?"

Mia smiled fondly at me, and I wondered if she believed my words at all, or if she'd realised I really didn't mind Brittany being around after all and just didn't want to admit it. I wasn't even sure when I'd stopped caring that she'd tagged along

"Still. It was nice."

I shook my head dismissively as I moved towards the door, pulling out of Mia's hold.

"Well I don't care how early she is, no way we're leaving before nine."

Mia laughed again as I exited the bedroom, her voice echoing after me.

"Bet you it's 8.30!"

I trudged down the narrow flight of stairs without replying. I had just reached the bottom when something heavy barrelled into me from the direction of the kitchen, knocking me into the wall.

"Hey!"

"Sorry Santana!" a pyjama-clad Lin apologised, wincing as she reached to pull me back to my feet then darting past me to open the door.

Brittany was standing on the doorstep, in the same fluffy cat sweater she'd been wearing yesterday, but this time her legs were rather more covered up by a pair of jeans. She was holding a large wicker basket that looked as though it was about to topple out of her arms. She grinned brightly upon seeing Lin, but as she stepped in her eyes flicked to me and her smile faded a little. I didn't get the chance to wonder about that though - I was distracted by Lin peering into the basket and beginning to coo at whatever was inside.

"I'm not too early am I?" Brittany asked, her eyes still on me as she pushed the door shut behind her with one foot. She looked nervous again.

I found myself shaking my head despite what I had just said to the contrary to Mia.

"It's fine. We're not ready to leave yet though."

"Oh, no, I didn't think you would be. I didn't mean to wake you up either, sorry. I just wanted to bring Lord Tubbington over so he could get used to being here." Her eyes dropped to the basket as she spoke, her expression brightening again. "I think he likes it here already. He likes _you_," she said to Lin, and I became aware of a low rumbling noise coming from within the basket.

"Well of course he does. Every cat likes me, and you're no different, are you?" Lin murmured to the creature in the basket.

Brittany shifted as it tilted dangerously to one side. She moved quickly, hurrying towards the lounge and as she passed I caught sight of two large yellow eyes peering out of the mesh. I followed her just in time to see her settle the basket down on the couch and flick the latch open. She reached inside, and proceeded to pull out one of the fattest cats I'd ever seen. Lin brushed past me, dropping to her knees and immediately starting to fuss over it.

"Santana, do you like cats?" Brittany asked, turning to look at me as she scratched the giant creature's ears.

I shrugged, leaning against the doorframe. I wasn't really a pet person. Neither was Mia - but obviously the same was not true of her sister, who hadn't taken her eyes off the cat since it had entered the house.

"Oh. Well, this is Lord Tubbington. Say hello, Tubbs," she whispered to him, kissing the top of his head.

I could have sworn it raised an eyebrow at me. Except it's a cat. Cats can't do that. Cats don't even _have_ eyebrows.

"Sometime he gets a bit scared when he has to go to new places. So I thought I should bring him early and help him get used to being here while Lin's looking after him."

I nodded, trying to look understanding.

"…Okay. Well. I need to go shower, if I'm going to be awake enough to keep Quinn occupied all day," I told her as I straightened. "Be ready to leave about nine?"

She nodded, attention returning to me from the cat.

"Thank you, Santana."

I paused. Her eyes were fixed on me and she was smiling again, although she continued to absentmindedly stroke her cat. I wasn't sure how to respond to that. Deciding I'd been standing there in silence for too long I turned without replying at all. Halfway up the stairs I glanced back through the doorway, and found her still watching me. I met her eyes for a second, then pulled myself away and turned to hurry back up towards Mia.

* * *

"So you've never been to San Francisco before?"

"Not for long enough to look around, just a flight transfer."

"There's so much you have to see! Fisherman's Wharf, and the windiest street, and all the sea lions-"

I eyed the clock next to the steering wheel that read 8.40, doing my best to remain annoyed but finding it difficult when Brittany had that massive smile on her face again. Her enthusiasm was infectious, and Quinn had made me agree to leave early in exchange for a stop off at Starbucks which she had paid for. My eyes kept flicking to the rearview mirror to look at Brittany. I still hadn't worked her out properly, even though I didn't mind her being here. Every so often I caught her looking back.

"I just wish we could go to Alcatraz," Quinn sighed.

"But it's a prison. Why would you want to go there?" Brittany asked, frowning in confusion. Quinn twisted in her seat to stare at her.

"Why? Because it's a historical landmark! There's so much literature about it, it's a fascinating place."

"But how is a prison better than sea lions?" Brittany asked, still looking utterly perplexed at the notion.

Quinn turned to me, hunting for backup, but I shook my head.

"Sorry Quinn, Britt's right. Sea lions beat prison any day."

Quinn huffed at me, settling back in her seat.

"Well we can't go anyway, so I hope you're right."

My eyes met Brittany's in the mirror and she grinned at me. For a second it felt like she was sharing a secret with me. I quickly returned my eyes to the road. When I chanced a second look, she had returned to staring out of the window.

"Santana!"

I slammed my foot down on the brake as I registered the red traffic light, bringing the car to a jarring halt just in time. I glanced back guiltily only to find Brittany biting her lip, very obviously trying not to laugh. Unfortunately Quinn was not quite so amused, and for the rest of the journey I was subjected to a lecture about safe driving. Yeah, I knew why she got so antsy about it. But after a good ten minutes of her preaching I was ready to snap.

I parked the car, fingers wrapped tight around the steering wheel and willing Quinn to shut up already. I wasn't even driving any more. If Brittany hadn't intervened I'd have probably done something reckless.

"What do you want to see first?" she piped up the moment Quinn paused her spiel to climb out of the car.

I pocketed the car keys as we walked towards the parking lot exit together, emerging in bright sunshine that promised a hot day.

"Well, we might as well see those sea lions first, then work our way back towards here," Quinn suggested, miraculously distracted from her previous lecture by the new sights of San Francisco that were accompanied by a constant stream of commentary from Brittany. She kept pointing out shops and restaurants and buildings, and there was a story to go with everything. The tallest bakery. The oldest statue of a bird. One time she even waved excitedly across the street at a middle-aged couple, then explained how they had got married while bungee jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge.

"She must be making some of this up," Quinn muttered, as Brittany paused to examine a plaque on a wall.

Logic told me I should agree - even though I was strongly disinclined to agree with Quinn on anything at this point in time. Mia had said she didn't know anyone; that she was new to San Francisco. If it had been anyone else I wouldn't have hesitated in agreeing, but Brittany was just so excited about everything she described. It seemed wrong, somehow, to act like my normal cynical self - even though most of the stories were directed at Quinn, and she was still sending me the occasional nervous glance. I wasn't sure exactly what I'd done to make her act differently around me. Had I accidentally called her hermit girl without realising? Did she dislike _me_? That would be ironic, after I'd made the effort to hate her and failed. She was growing on me with every new story she told.

As we turned a corner I took two brisk steps to catch up with Brittany.

"How do you know all this stuff?" I asked, making the effort to smile. She looked momentarily surprised, then she beamed straight back and it became even harder to believe that she was making any of it up. Maybe she didn't dislike me after all.

"Fondue."

I blinked at her. "…What?"

"My show, remember? I've done episodes on all of this. San Francisco has so many interesting people and places. I wanted to get to know it last summer, so I started asking questions, and people tell me stories. It's why I started doing my show, to tell other people the stories. Mia and Tina helped me."

I suddenly remembered a mention Mia had made about doing some filming last summer while I was back in Lima. She'd never gone into much detail though, and I had no intention of starting _another _argument about what exactly had gone on that summer.

"So that's what your show's about, random people?" I asked. I hadn't really followed her description of it in the cafe yesterday.

"Yes. But also places. And things. It's anything, really. Anything fun and interesting."

"So why exactly do you want me on it?" I joked.

She turned to me, her head slightly tilted. She looked amused.

"Well you're fun and interesting, silly."

"So I'm fun, interesting and silly. Nice combination."

She laughed, and the sound rang in my ears pleasantly. It was a nice laugh, not too loud or raucous like a certain Rachel Berry's. It reminded me of Mia's laugh - a sound I could listen to all day and never get tired of.

"It's the best combination," she assured me, leaning in to give me a sideways half-hug that caught me off guard. I hesitated, unsure whether to hug back, and as if she sensed my hesitation she quickly released me and was bounding forward.

"Come on, we're almost there!" she called back over her shoulder.

Quinn appeared at my shoulder suddenly, making me jump.

"_How_ does she have so much energy? Travelling with her's going to be exhausting..."

I looked between Quinn and Brittany, and suddenly found myself smiling.

"Well at least we'll be kept on our toes."

* * *

"That price is ridiculous. We might as well walk."

"Come on, Quinn. You can't be a tourist in San Francisco and not go on a cable car."

"Five dollars could be a whole meal!"

"Jesus, you sound like Mia."

"Well it's good to know at least one other person on this trip isn't intent on wasting all their money."

"It's five bucks!"

"Exactly!"

I groaned aloud, a retort ready on my lips as I stepped out into the road, but then something grabbed the back of my shirt and pulled. I fell back into a soft body just as a motorbike sped past, right over the spot where I'd been standing a moment ago. The words I had intended to say to Quinn were forgotten, chased away by the strong arms wrapped around me, keeping me upright.

"Are you okay?"

I straightened quickly, pulling out of Brittany's hold and turning to give her a tight-lipped smile.

"I'm fine. Thanks."

She still looked a little concerned so I widened my smile until she nodded, returning to hunting through her bag. I watched curiously, and a few seconds later she grinned as she lifted out a small camcorder.

"Fondue?" I guessed.

She brightened and nodded, flipping it open and pointing it straight at me.

"Wait, are you filming? Don't do that!" I protested, sidestepping and bumping into Quinn. She pushed me straight back in front of the camera, smirking as I glared at her.

Brittany's face fell. "What? But I thought you wanted to be on it."

"I'll _help_ you film. Come on, I've had no time to prepare to actually be on camera," I complained, moving to the side again and eyeing the camcorder. "You can't just spring that on people."

"You've got to get over that fear of cameras, Santana. There's going to be plenty around for the next two months."

I glared at Quinn again, pissed at her for the second time today, but she just shrugged like it was a perfectly reasonable thing to say. I was relieved to see the camcorder was now pointing at the floor, with Brittany looking uncertainly between the pair of us. The smile was gone from her face, and she looked as nervous as she had when I'd first met her. I sighed. _Fuck it. _

"Fine, you can film. But you can't put anything online unless I see it first, alright?"

Quinn lifted her eyebrows in surprise, but I chose to concentrate on how Brittany's face lit up again - shortly followed by the camcorder. I resisted the urge to duck out of the way, and instead managed a grimacing smile. She bit her lip, but couldn't completely stop her lips from curling upwards at the corners.

"Come on, Santana. You've got a prettier smile than that," she said quietly. Her eyes were on mine, and I could still see a little worry in her expression, like she didn't know how I'd react. I think she was just as unsure of me as I was of her - except my uncertainty was rapidly fading. I hoped hers was too. I found myself smiling properly at her, trying to reassure her and ignoring the presence of the camcorder. I was relieved when the worry disappeared, replaced by one of her beaming smiles.

"Hey, aren't we like one street away from Chinatown?"

My head snapped to the side to see Quinn examining the map, and I peered over her shoulder to look at where she was pointing.

"Oh… yeah. Maybe."

"Aren't you meant to be the one showing me around?" Quinn asked.

I rolled my eyes, snagging one corner of the map and tugging it out of her hands so I could look at it properly.

"Hey, I live in Sacramento, not here," I said, soon realising she was right. We'd been walking parallel to it for some time. My sense of direction wasn't the best. Not that I'd admit it aloud. Especially with Brittany still pointing her camera at me, I noticed. I shifted so it wasn't quite so much in my line of sight, pointing across the street to the closest crossroad. "If we cross there we'll be near the gateway."

I felt a sudden pressure around my waist, then Brittany's face appeared over my shoulder and I realised it was just her arm.

"Try not to get run over this time," she whispered.

I was about to protest that I didn't need help crossing the road, but she was already tugging slightly to get me to start walking. I slung an arm over her shoulders instead, taking advantage of her being distracted by the road to swivel the camcorder in her other hand so it was pointing in the opposite direction.

"Hey - Santana!" she squealed when she realised what I was doing, trying to move it out of reach.

A car horn sounded a little too close and I jumped forward, pulling Brittany with me onto the sidewalk and out of the way of the offending vehicle. The camcorder toppled dangerously in Brittany's hand and I reached forward, grabbing it before she could drop it and pushing it securely back into her hold.

"Thanks," she whispered, her eyes flicking up to look at me as soon as she had finished examining the camcorder.

I shifted, glancing back over my shoulder to find Quinn still on the other side of the street.

"No worries. It's obvious your camera doesn't like me though. You should take the hint and film something else."

Her eyes widened momentarily, but then she grinned and quickly brought the camcorder back up to point straight at me.

"Nu-uh. Challenges are fun."

I tried to dart behind her but she spun smoothly on one foot, following me easily with the camcorder. Quinn's voice rang out behind me before I could move again.

"If you two are done trying to dig yourselves early graves, can we try and get to Chinatown _before_ it's time to leave?"

I did try not to laugh when Quinn marched off. But barely a second after I thought I'd got myself under control I noticed Brittany's expression, and realised she was doing the exact same thing. And then it was a lost cause.

* * *

"Britt, we're back now. Look, the house is there. You can turn it off."

She giggled, and I could just see her shaking her head. Her initial uncertainty at filming me had long since faded once she realised my frequent objections were - mostly - joking.

"Nope. The camera loves you."

"Can't it love Quinn instead?" I asked as I pulled the car in next to the curb outside Mia's house, doing my best not to grin straight back at her.

I switched the ignition off, swivelling to try and reach for the camcorder to turn it off myself, but stopped when I found her frowning down at her phone. It was strange to see her not smiling. Her uncertainty about me seemed to have disappeared over the course of the day, and she'd been cheerful practically the whole time.

"Everything okay?"

Her head jerked up and suddenly she was smiling again, if not quite as brightly as before. The green light of her camcorder disappeared.

"Yeah, I just need to make a phone call. You go in, I'll follow in a bit."

I hesitated, but Quinn was already agreeing and climbing out of the car. I passed the keys back to Brittany and she gave me another brief smile of thanks, but her attention was back on her phone. I followed Quinn out and up the flight of steps, knocking once then pushing the door open.

"We're in here!" Mia called, and I followed the sound of her voice through the kitchen to the lounge, where she was sat on the sofa with her parents and Tina, several large bags in the middle of the floor. Lin and a typically grumpy Tyler were sat opposite on the floor with Brittany's fat cat curled up in Lin's lap, making the whole room feel even more cramped than usual.

"Where's Brittany?"

"She's on the phone. Are we going tonight?" I asked, surveying the bags and finding a familiar folder of notes clenched in Mia's mom's hands. The collection of maps and lists of hotels had been growing in the corner of Mia's room in Sacramento for months, ever since we'd first started talking seriously about this trip.

"If that's okay? I know it's not much notice," Mia said apologetically.

"It's great! Right, Q?" I remembered to check, turning in the doorway to her.

She nodded. "Today is as good as tomorrow. But we should book a hotel now, it'll be late when we get there."

Mia grinned, leaning down to lift her laptop from where it was sitting next to her feet.

"All ready to go, we just wanted to check with you first."

"What about Brittany?" I asked.

"She was ready to leave a week ago, she'll be fine with it," Tina said.

I glanced towards the window, and could make out her shadow still in the backseat of my car. I remembered her frown from earlier and wondered what was taking her so long.

"Well I'll go let her know. What time?"

"Soon, it's still a long drive tonight."

I nodded, sliding past Quinn in the doorway and heading back out of the house. I could see Brittany straight away, but it didn't look like she was on the phone anymore. It was only when I reached the car door and could see her properly through the window that I realised with dismay she was crying.

My immediate reaction was to try and comfort her - but I didn't know her, not properly. I'd only met her yesterday. What if she was like me, and preferred to be left alone when she was upset? But what if she wanted someone to talk to? Would she even want to talk to me, when I was basically a stranger?

She spotted me before I could make a decision and quickly wiped at her face as she reached for the door, opening it.

"Sorry. I'll be in soon," she muttered, forcing a smile.

"I… are you okay?" The words felt wrong as soon as they were out of my mouth. Of course she wasn't okay, she was crying. "Sorry, stupid question. Uh… do you want to talk?"

She hesitated, uncertainty and longing mixing in her expression.

"I don't want to bore you with my problems," she mumbled, staring at the seat.

I shook my head, opening the door further and hopping in to perch next to her. She slid across to make room.

"You won't," I assured her. "I wouldn't offer to talk if I didn't actually want to."

Brittany looked up at me, searching for something. I waited, unsure if I should have got in the car after all, but a moment later she spoke.

"It's just… I spoke to my boyfriend. Ex-boyfriend," she corrected herself.

"Oh. Uh… when did you break up? Is he being a dick?"

Brittany shook her head frantically, fresh tears springing to her eyes, and I wished I'd never spoken.

"No! No he's not, he's just… so sad. And I feel really horrible."

"Well why did you break up? If you don't mind telling me," I added quickly. I didn't want her to think I was intruding, but she had said she wanted to talk. And I couldn't imagine her doing anything _that_ bad to feel guilty over.

"It… I… it was just hard. He's in New York, I was in Atlanta - now I'm even further away. We never saw each other, and… I just didn't love him anymore. I didn't get excited to see him. I'd rather be with my friends. And I just… I don't understand. And he doesn't either. He didn't do anything wrong," she sniffed, wiping at her eyes again. I tentatively reached out a hand for hers and she grabbed it tightly. "And n-now, he's so sad, and keeps asking how he can make it better. And I don't know if I'm g-giving up too soon on us. But it didn't feel right. A-and it's not like you can choose your soulmate. Or I'd choose him, because he's so nice, and he's everything I _should_ want…" She trailed off, sniffling.

"You can't make yourself love him," I reasoned. I wanted to blame her ex for upsetting her, but I didn't think it would really help. She was staring down at the seat again so I squeezed her hand, tugging lightly to try and make her look at me. "Hey - stop beating yourself up about it. You're doing the right thing."

She lifted her head, blinking away tears.

"You really think so?"

"Of course. It's not fair to lead him on if there's no feelings there. I've done it before," I admitted, thinking back to my disastrous on-and-off relationship with Puck. "The longer you leave it, the worse it gets. Trust me."

She was staring at me again and I suddenly felt nervous, wondering what she saw as she looked at me so intensely. I waited as patiently as I could while she processed my words. Finally she nodded.

"I guess. That's what I thought, that it would be worse if I left it."

"It would be," I assured her again.

She nodded once more, giving me a tight-lipped smile as she brushed away the last of her tears. When she looked at me again, smiling brightly, it was a transformation back to her earlier sunny self - except her eyes were red, and she still clung tightly onto my hand.

"So, when are we leaving?" she asked in a falsely cheery voice. I let the topic of her ex drop - I didn't want to force her to talk more about something that made her so unhappy, even if it felt like there was more to say on the matter.

"It's what I was coming out to tell you - tonight! As soon as possible, before it gets dark I guess."

This time her grin reached her eyes.

"Tonight? That's great, I can't wait," she enthused. "Oh, are you guys waiting for me?" Come on!"

Her hand pulled away from mine suddenly to reach over for the door handle. I resisted the urge to reclaim it, instead lifting my own hand to gently touch her arm to get her attention.

"Brittany, are you sure you're okay with going tonight?" I asked. Even with how excited she seemed now, little signs of sadness still peeped through.

Her smile wasn't so wide this time. "I'm sure. I want to get this trip started. Then we'll be busy, and I'll be distracted."

"Okay," I said, still a little unsure. "Just… any time you want to talk, let me know. I know there's Tina and Mia. But if you need a fresh ear."

"Thank you, Santana. I think…" She hesitated, then continued anyway. "I know Tina said you didn't really want me to come, that you'd probably be mad. And I'm sorry if I'm ruining your vacation. Because you're really nice, and I don't want to ruin anything for you. But… I think you and me could be friends. If you wanted. If you're not too upset at me for crashing your trip."

I bit the inside of my lip to stop myself smiling too widely, but I think she caught sight of my reaction anyway because her own expression brightened a little.

"I think we could be friends, too," I agreed. I paused, then reached out to grab her pinky, just like I used to do as a kid. She giggled at the action, but squeezed her finger around mine.

"Does this mean we're friends now?" she asked, the glint in her eyes showing she was enjoying the silly gesture just as much as I was. It was good to see laughter in her face again. I felt a little guilty that she knew I hadn't wanted her to come, even though there was nothing I could do about it now. I just had to make sure she knew I'd changed my mind.

"Friends," I repeated, wiggling our linked fingers a little and making her laugh again. For the first time, I felt like I understood her. "Now, Brittany Pierce - are you ready for an adventure?"

Her eyes lit up even more and she pulled her hand back to push me towards the half-open door. I was laughing as I stumbled out, and then it was impossible to stop when she fell into me from behind. She wasted no time, pulling me by the hand up the steps to Mia's house as I struggled to breathe at the same time as running and laughing.

We burst into the lounge and from that point, nothing stopped. Four of us squashed the bags into the car as Mia listened to her mother reel off a checklist of everything we should have packed, what to do in an emergency, and gave her repeated reminders to phone. Even Quinn didn't escape the round of family goodbye hugs - although Tyler somehow managed to sneak away for that.

By the time we were in the car daylight was already fading. It was difficult to see through the piled up bags, but as I pulled away from the curb I caught sight of the sun disappearing behind a tree. We still had a long night yet - it would be six hours until we reached Los Angeles - but the thought wasn't at all daunting. This was it. We were on the road. Our summer had properly begun.

* * *

**Thanks Nee!**


	4. Fondue-ing

Chapter Three: Fondue-ing

The noise of a phone beeping by my head woke me, and I groaned quietly at the intrusion into my pleasant dreams. Mia shifted next to me, burying her head into a pillow, and I felt guilty that the sound had woken her too. I'd at least had a short, accidental nap in the car near the end of the journey, but she had been awake right up to arriving at the motel at 2am - first keeping me company, then driving to give me a break.

I reached blindly for my phone and found a scrap of paper waiting on the bedside table instead. Squinting, I recognised Quinn's neat cursive.

_Tina, Brittany and I are out exploring, we thought we'd leave you two to sleep. Call me when you wake up. _

_-Q_

Scrunching up the piece of paper and grabbing my phone, I nestled back into the comfort of the bed as I opened my messages.

_Get your ass out of bed, Lopez. You're in my town and we need to party!_

"Where are they?" Mia murmured sleepily, rolling to deplete the gap between us and resting her head on my shoulder.

"Out, somewhere. I need to call Quinn," I said, running my fingers slowly through her hair as I tapped out a reply to Puck.

"Didn't take him long," Mia commented, her voice more alert now and her eyes on my phone.

I quickly hit send and cleared Puck's name from my screen - as if it was that simple. Things would be so much easier if Puck had acted a little better the first time they met; at the very least, he could have missed out the threesome comment. I knew he was (mostly) joking, but Mia had taken an immediate dislike to him, and things hadn't improved.

The beep of another text saved me from answering, this time from a number I didn't recognise.

_Ur awake! We're at this awesome cafe on hwood blvd for lunch, u need to come join us! Smthng called blueberry, or bluebells. Ur friend noah is with us, he gave me ur no. and says to hurry. He's right, come find us! Britt x_

I checked the time and realised with a shock it was already midday.

"We should get up. They're waiting for us at some cafe."

Mia sighed against my shoulder, moving her arm to wrap around my waist.

"But this is nice, and quiet, and just the two of us. When's the next time we'll have this?" she murmured, pressing a soft kiss against my neck. I let my eyes close as she continued to pepper tiny kisses over my shoulder and neck. I relaxed under her touch, trailing a hand down her back to pull her closer. Her kisses were getting longer, and not quite so soft, when my phone beeped again. I willed her to ignore it and just continue, but she had already pulled back with a sigh. I lifted my phone again to find another text, from Quinn.

_Are you coming? It's the Blue Boys Cafe, we'll be here till 1._

"Are we?" I asked, turning to look at Mia. She shrugged, staring back up at me with a surprisingly neutral expression.

"You want to see Puck, don't you?"

I hesitated, then nodded. I hadn't seen him in months. He could be a complete idiot at times, but he was still a good friend.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure we get alone time for some of this trip," I assured her, leaning in to kiss her once before reluctantly pulling myself from the warmth of the covers.

* * *

Walking hand-in-hand with Mia in places that weren't the familiar streets of Sacramento was something I was still getting used to, but I was pleasantly surprised to notice no one was sending strange looks our way. Almost everyone we passed was a tourist, and they were all far more interested in taking pictures of the Chinese Theater or pointing out their favourites on the Walk of Fame than the sight of two girls holding hands.

The cafe was surprisingly easy to find. I wasn't really sure how it claimed the name "cafe", to be honest. The place was huge, and painted a near-fluorescent shade of blue. The moment we walked inside I heard my name being called, and a few seconds later my feet left the ground when I was scooped up into a hug.

"Took you long enough!" Puck exclaimed when he stepped back, looking me up and down. I examined him simultaneously, noting a tan and, thankfully, a still evenly-shaved head. When he'd first said he was getting rid of his mohawk I hadn't believed him. "Something have you distracted?" he teased, his gaze flicking to Mia. She rolled her eyes and walked straight past to where I could see the others sitting. "Good to see you too, Mia!" he shouted after her.

I punched him lightly in the arm.

"Play nice," I ordered as he feigned hurt, turning to follow Mia and slipping into a seat next to her. Puck shuffled in after me, not worrying about the small space. Mia met my gaze momentarily, expressing her displeasure, then turned to look across at Brittany, Quinn and Tina, who looked similarly squashed on the other side of the table.

"What've you been up to this morning?" Mia asked.

Brittany immediately piped up. It seemed the more time I spent around her, the more vibrant she got.

"So much! We got a map and just started walking, and we went into the Kodak Theater and-"

"Hey Santana," Puck muttered in my ear.

I tore my gaze from Brittany to raise an eyebrow at him. He grinned cockily.

"Don't gimme that look. You didn't come to LA for the sights, you came for me."

"Don't flatter yourself, Puck. Quinn's never been before, she wanted to visit."

That was what I'd told Mia, anyway. Maybe seeing Puck had influenced my insistence on visiting LA - but neither of them needed to know that.

"Alright, whatever you need to say to keep the missus happy."

I hit him again, harder than before, but he didn't even flinch. I hoped Mia hadn't been listening, but judging by the way she was tensed up beside me, she had heard every word. I slipped a hand under the table to rest on her knee, stroking lightly with my thumb to try and soothe her. It was like Puck was doing everything in his power to irritate her today, and it wasn't like he even had to try normally. I turned my attention back to Brittany, who was now in a debate with Quinn and Tina over the best Oscar film, but Puck tapped my elbow.

"Anyway, so I was thinking. You're headed to Vegas next, right?"

I nodded, already with an idea of where this conversation was going - and Mia was not going to like it one bit.

"Well business is slow at the moment. It won't do any harm to take a couple days off, tag along with you guys. What do you say?"

"Can you afford to visit Vegas if business is slow?" I asked, mildly concerned. Puck tended to brush aside talk of money trouble, but I knew his pool-cleaning business was not going as well as he'd hoped, even after four years.

"Sure I can - it's Vegas! I know my way around a poker table, I'll just win back the costs. Maybe we can even reminisce with a game of strip poker," he said, eyebrows wiggling. Mia shifted next to me, and I quickly spoke up before she could. I knew she was making the effort to keep quiet.

"You've as much chance of getting me to play strip poker as you have of hitting the jackpot."

"I'll get back to you when I'm rolling in the money," he replied immediately with a wink, but then his expression shifted quickly to a more serious one. "So, can I come? I've got my car, I can drive myself. And I'll sort my own hotel room."

I glanced around the table, avoiding Mia's eyes.

"Anyone care if Puck joins us for Vegas?"

There was a chorus of 'no's from the other side of the table. I risked turning to Mia and found her frowning. She met my gaze and her frown deepened. Her eyes flicked between me and Puck, considering. I squeezed her knee lightly, willing her to agree. Puck could make a place fun just by being there, and he knew Vegas well. He'd know the best places to go.

"Okay, look. If you want to come you've got to stop being such a dick. No lesbian jokes, no suggestions of strip poker, no lewd comments. Try being _nice_ for once," Mia said bluntly, glaring across at him.

A grin lit up his face and he lifted a hand in mock salute.

"You got it, Mia. I'll be so nice, even you'll like me by the end."

She snorted. "Try for the rest of today, see how it goes."

Puck grinned at me victoriously, and I had to grin back. Every day that passed, this trip was looking better and better. I looked up quickly when I felt a light kick under the table. Brittany was smiling in my direction.

"You up for some fondue-ing this afternoon?"

"Uh… you want to find a fondue place here?" I asked uncertainly.

She giggled, but I didn't really mind that she was laughing at me. It felt more like a compliment than anything else, that I had somehow been funny enough to make her laugh - even if it had been unintentional.

"I just need someone to hold the camera for a bit. It won't take too long, I promise. And it's really easy to work."

"Oh, okay. Yeah sure, I can do that," I agreed, and was rewarded with another of her beaming smiles.

"That's great, thanks! Do you want to go now? Or later - you haven't had lunch, later is fine too," she added hurriedly.

"It's fine, we grabbed breakfast on the way. We can go do it now if you want."

"Really, now?" she repeated, sitting up straighter.

I tried not to smile too much as I nodded, but it was a fruitless task when she jumped up and started digging through her bag, dropping a pile of papers, candy wrappers and loose keys on the table. Her face emerged from behind her bag a few seconds later, holding up her camcorder.

"Okay, let's go!"

I ignored Puck's amused expression as I pushed him back out of the booth so I could step out while Brittany stuffed everything back into her bag.

"I guess I'll call you guys when we're done," I said to Mia, also glancing over at Quinn who just smiled and nodded. If Puck wasn't there I might feel worse about leaving her with people she didn't know that well - not that she'd seemed to mind it when she'd left with them this morning. She was already returning to her Oscar discussion with Tina and Mia, so I turned to follow Brittany out of the "cafe" and back into the sunshine.

"So, where to? What are we filming?"

She lifted one of the scraps of paper from her bag and I found a list of five names before me; three of which I recognised but two others I'd never heard of.

"The people who watch my show voted, and I have to find these names on the Walk of Fame. You just need to film as I look, and make sure you zoom in on them when we find them. Okay?" she said, offering the camcorder.

I took it, flipping the side open and hitting the red button. This was a much better arrangement than being filmed myself.

"Recording," I told her, holding it up and taking a quick step back so I could see her in the frame better. She grinned at me through the camcorder, and I found the screen detracted nothing from her smile. She started speaking straight at the camcorder, but every so often I noticed her eyes dart up to my face instead and her smile would widen a fraction. Just like in the car yesterday when she'd been talking with Quinn, it felt like she was sharing a secret with me.

"This is Brittany S. Pierce, reporting from the one and only Los Angeles! Although it's not as good as San Francisco. But I'm here, and I have a list of stars! Mr Buzz Aldrin. Ms Audrey Hepburn. Mr Mickey Mouse. Mr Barry Fitzgerald. Ms Judy Holliday. So, we're hunting! Oh, and we is me and Santana. Say hi, Santana."

I looked up quickly to find her staring straight at me, waiting with an encouraging smile.

"Um… hi?"

"Santana doesn't really like being on the camera," Brittany continued smoothly. She was still looking at me rather than the camcorder, and her eyes were dancing. "But it's okay. I've got six weeks to secretly film her and show you all how awesome she is."

I opened my mouth to object, took one look at her face, and closed it again. She just grinned wider, and motioned with one hand for me to follow her as she started walking.

"Thanks Santana. This is so much easier than trying to film myself," she said as we walked, her eyes trained on the ground and the many golden stars we were treading on.

"No problem," I replied. It felt a little awkward, having a normal conversation and knowing every word was being recorded, but Brittany didn't seem to mind so I tried not to either. "Do many people watch your show?" It would be good to know just how many people I might be broadcast to. I guessed it must be a fair number, if there were enough to have a poll.

"Quite a few, I think. I don't really know. But I get messages from people I don't know, and Tina says it's a lot."

"But don't you want to know exactly?"

She shrugged, looking completely unconcerned.

"Not really. I know people watch it and like it. I like making it. So I don't think it really matters how many, so long as _someone_ enjoys it."

I nodded, not convinced by her logic and now even more curious than before. Next time I used Mia's laptop, I would have to look it up.

"Hey, there!"

I lifted the camcorder quickly to follow her pointed finger, staying back a few feet as she hurried forward to keep her in the picture. She knelt next to one of the stars and grinned up at the camera, and I zoomed in so the name was visible - Mickey Mouse.

"That's one down - four more to go!" she exclaimed happily.

* * *

We rejoined the others about an hour later, after a good twenty minute hunt for the last name on Brittany's list. No one had heard of Judy Holliday, let alone known where on the Walk her star was. Eventually we'd stumbled on her by accident, half-hidden by a trash can, and once Brittany had finished listing the most random facts about her we headed back down Hollywood Boulevard to find the others at the Chinese Theater.

Once enough photos had been taken to fill an entire album, most of which I managed to stay out of, we returned to the tour bus building the others had apparently picked up their map from that morning. Within ten minutes, we had all paid and were climbing the steps of the bus. I settled in next to Mia, with Brittany and Tina behind, and Quinn and Puck just across the aisle. I watched them for a few moments. Their heads were close together and I couldn't make out what was being said, but for once Puck didn't appear to be cracking jokes.

Feeling eyes on me, I turned to find Mia smiling. Her hand slipped down to find mine between the two seats as the bus set off, the guide already beginning to point out nearby sights.

"How was Puck?" I asked quietly. He was still in deep conversation with Quinn, but I didn't want to risk him overhearing.

She shrugged, not looking as annoyed at the mention as I'd expected.

"Surprisingly not that bad. He's been talking with Quinn most of the afternoon. If he keeps it up I might even be able to get through the next few days without throwing something at him."

I grimaced, remembering the last time Mia's temper had snapped after one too many jokes from Puck. He still had a tiny scar on his forehead from the incident, but he had just infuriated Mia further by pocketing the quarter she'd thrown. It had been a bad end to an eventful week.

Mia's voice broke through my thoughts.

"So how was fondue-ing? Enjoy being directed constantly?" she asked, teasing. I just wasn't quite sure what she was teasing about.

"Directed? I just followed her with the camera. It was pretty fun."

"So she didn't constantly tell you what to film?"

Brittany's head popped in between our seats.

"Santana's actually good at filming. She doesn't get distracted and forget to hold the camera up."

"I only did that a few times-"

"You were _always_ doing it! You're worse than Tina!"

"Hey, I'm not that bad," Tina objected, leaning forward to join the conversation so her head bumped lightly against Brittany's.

"You didn't press record!"

"That really was only once," Tina argued.

"With the worst timing," Brittany countered, shaking her head.

"So basically you're saying Santana's got a full-time job as your camerawoman?"

"Yep!" Brittany agreed, then swivelled her head quickly to look at me. "If that's okay, if you don't mind?"

I smiled reassuringly at her. "Sounds good to me. Except you have to let me stay off camera," I added.

She grinned widely and nodded, reaching through the gap in the seats to grab my hand and shake it firmly. "Deal."

Her eyes met mine as she held onto my hand for a fraction too long, and I felt a tug in my stomach - but then her hand was gone and she was pointing out over the side of the bus, speaking to Tina. She was smiling, just like she always did, and there was no sign of the sadness I had witnessed yesterday. Was she really okay? Was she just distracted? Or had she got better at hiding it? I forced my eyes away from her and onto the Beverly Hills sign we were passing that the guide was pointing out. I was still kind of worried, though. This was meant to be the trip of a lifetime; I didn't want Brittany sad for any of it. But there was nothing I could do right now. Making the decision to talk to Mia about it later, I tuned in to what the guide was saying and settled back in my seat.

* * *

"_Come back in two weeks for the next episode, featuring special guest Rosa Campbell - the very last episode in Athens!"_

I tried to keep my expression straight as the credits rolled, but it was hard. This show of Brittany's was easily the bizarrest thing I had ever watched, which I really wasn't too surprised at - and yet somehow one of the most entertaining too. I had only watched two episodes, but whatever topic Brittany chose - and they did seem to be completely random - she made it hilarious but informative at the same time. She also seemed to always work fondue in somehow. Everyone else watching agreed it was genius, judging by the comments and the sheer number of views. Looking at those stats again, I was even more glad I was only helping Brittany off-camera.

Clicking on the next video, the already-familiar tune started playing through my headphones as I glanced over at Brittany's sleeping form. Quinn and Tina were still playing cards on the other bed, but Brittany had only got through one game before slumping onto the air mattress and falling asleep fully-dressed. I could see the rise and fall of her shoulders with every breath, blonde hair outlining her face. She was smiling a little even in her sleep.

Her voice in my headphones started to talk about cat diseases and I returned my attention to the laptop screen, on which Brittany was holding up her cat. She was just trying to persuade it to eat a ham sandwich when the door opened and Mia entered with a handful of snacks from the vending machine down the corridor. She picked out a bag of sour patch kids and dumped the rest on the table, then slid onto the bed next to me. I pulled my headphones out in time to hear her laugh as she saw the screen.

"That was quick."

"Got to know what I've got myself into," I replied, reaching into the bag of candy and popping one into my mouth.

"And?"

"It's really good! Not what I was expecting, though," I said as Mia picked up one of the earphones to listen in. It reminded me of my earlier thoughts, and I pulled the earphone back from her.

"Can you show me where you got these?" I asked, pointing to the candy.

"It's just down-"

"Show me?" I interrupted. She grinned at me the second time and nodded, standing again. I shut the lid of the laptop after pausing Fondue, and followed her out of the room to the open-air corridor that overlooked the parking lot. We walked together a few feet towards the vending machine before I felt the tug on my hand as she stopped. I turned, and found her smirking at me. She pulled on my hand again, bringing me closer to her, and I suddenly realised what she'd thought I meant. I took a step back. It wasn't that I didn't want to. It was just we'd have plenty of time for that when I didn't want to check up on Brittany.

Mia frowned as she came to her own realisation. "Santana? What's up?"

I hesitated, suddenly uncertain. I didn't want Mia or Brittany to think that I was interfering. I wasn't even sure how well Mia really knew her.

"It's Brittany," I began briefly, leaning against the wall and glancing back down the corridor to check we were far enough away from the room.

"I thought you liked her. You can't tell her no now."

I quickly shook my head. "No, no, it's not that. I do like her. Didn't think I would, but I do. She's… sweet." I rolled my eyes when I saw Mia's lips curl up at the corners. "Yeah yeah. I'm just… I'm worried. When I went out to the car yesterday evening, she was really upset." I was assuming Mia knew about Brittany breaking up with her boyfriend now, but I didn't want to just blurt that out. She understood immediately, though, and sighed.

"I think she'll be okay. Brittany's pretty resilient. She's more upset about Artie being upset than she is about actually breaking up with him."

"Do you know him at all?" I asked, fishing in my pocket for some quarters for the vending machine. Hopefully she would give me something that would justify my thoughts that Brittany wasn't to blame.

"Oh, yeah, Tina was the one who introduced them. He went to our school, him and Tina were in the theatre club together. He's a nice guy. I don't really get why she dumped him."

"Because it wasn't going anywhere," I replied, frowning slightly as I knelt to retrieve the bag of candy. "She didn't love him."

"You don't just drop someone like that, though. Not after you've been with them for two years."

I turned, leaning against the machine so I could look at her properly. I didn't really like where this conversation was going, and I wanted to get it back to my original concern.

"You think she'll be okay, though?"

Mia nodded firmly, turning to walk back towards our motel room.

"Like I said, she's resilient. She's very good at staying optimistic. You could take a few tips from her on that," she added with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes, bumping her lightly on the shoulder then curving my arm around her waist, relieved that the conversation had become more light-hearted again.

"Maybe I should ask her for a Fondue special on optimism."

Mia laughed aloud, pausing as she reached for the door handle to turn and look at me.

"Don't. Brittany provides all the optimism we'll ever need. You keep being your witty, sarcastic self. It's how I like you."

I lifted an eyebrow at her, biting the inside of my lip to stop myself smiling.

"You really need to work on your compliments, Mia."

She laughed again, stepping a little closer so the tips of our toes were touching.

"How about, curiously good at procrastinating?"

I poked her lightly in the ribs.

"Try again."

She grinned wider, leaning in to plant a soft kiss on my lips before whispering in my ear.

"Sexiest singing voice I've ever heard."

I did my best to stop the tremor that ran through my body, but I could tell from her expression as she pulled away that it was a failed effort.

"You got that right," I said quickly, trying to recover. I wished we weren't about to step into a room full of other people. For a moment I considered grabbing her hand and pulling her away to another room after all, but she was already opening the door - and as I walked in I noticed Brittany, still fast asleep, but no longer smiling. My concern returned despite Mia's recent reassurances. Was she dreaming about her ex - this Artie guy? Had she been woken up while I was gone by another text from him? If Mia or even Quinn pushed to know why I was so worried, I would just dismiss it as not wanting Brittany's drama ruining the trip for the rest of us. And yeah, that was part of it. But over just a few days I had grown used to her permanent smile. It didn't seem right that something was upsetting such a cheerful person. And she was such fun to be around, it was really in everyone's best interests to make sure she was happy.

"Santana?"

My eyes snapped across the room to find the others all looking at me, Tina holding up a half-dealt pack of cards.

"Do you want to play?" she asked.

I nodded, moving across the room to slip into the space between Quinn and Mia. "Sure, I need to start practicing for Vegas."

As Tina dealt the rest of the cards I glanced back at Brittany, and was relieved to see the whisper of a smile on her lips again. I would just have to keep an eye on her, and do all I could to make sure she stayed smiling.

* * *

**Thanks Nee :) I didn't plan to get a beta for this story but it sure is nice having one**


	5. Symphony No 1 - Dance

**For the last scene you should listen to the song Rainy Zurich by The Fray – it was the inspiration for the title of this story and I listened to it a lot while writing the scene.**

Chapter Five: Symphony No. 1 – Dance

_WAKE UP IN THE MORNING FEELING LIKE P DIDDY-_

"What the fuck-?" I growled, squinting across the room to find a flash of blonde hair disappearing beneath my bed, as the music continued to blare out from somewhere near my head.

_-GLASSES I'M OUT THE DOOR I'M GONNA HIT THIS CITY-_

"Sorry, sorry!" Brittany hissed, her head popping up again with a phone in her hand. She hit several buttons before finally shutting it off. "I'm sorry," she repeated in a slightly calmer voice. "I forgot I had it set."

"S'okay," I muttered, rolling over to reach for my own phone. 6.30am. Great. Peering around the room I found the others miraculously still asleep. Brittany didn't seem bothered by the early hour, though. I noticed she was already dressed, and was pulling a pair of polka dot shoes out from under my bed - I remembered Quinn pushing her bag under there last night after tripping over it.

"Where are you going?" I whispered, resting my head in the crook of my elbow.

"Just for a walk. Maybe I'll find some breakfast."

I stared down at her as she pulled on her shoes and began to lace them up into some semblance of a knot. It was horrifically early. But the idea of a morning walk with Brittany, even at this hour, was strangely appealing. I could get to know her more - keep her smiling. And anyway, it probably wasn't safe for her to go walking alone. Convinced, I swung my legs out of bed, stretching as I stood at the same time as Brittany. She was a few inches taller than me, but not so tall that it hurt my neck to look up at her. Her nose was scrunched up adorably as she stared down at me in confusion.

"Aren't you going back to sleep?"

"Oh. I - uh, I thought I might come with you, if that's okay?" I asked, suddenly unsure. Maybe she woke up so early on purpose so there wouldn't be other people about.

Her face lit up, though, and she nodded eagerly. "Yeah, course you can come! Normally no one else is awake - I'll have someone to talk to," she said with a smile.

"Okay, great. Give me ten minutes," I requested, reaching for my clothes and already feeling more awake.

Fifteen minutes later, as we walked out of the motel doors, I still wasn't regretting my decision despite the surprising chill of the morning. We started down the road at a slow pace, and I turned to Brittany, folding my arms against my front to try and warm myself a little. LA was supposed to have good weather!

"So, where did you want to go?"

She shrugged, and somehow managed to make the action look graceful. Now I was paying attention, every movement she made was smooth. I felt uncoordinated just walking next to her. She had to be a gymnast or something.

"Nowhere in particular. I just like to wander, see where I end up."

Now I was very glad I'd chosen to tag along.

"Isn't that kind of dangerous?"

"I'm careful. And people are normally nice if you're friendly."

"Normally," I repeated, frowning across at her.

She noticed my expression and grinned, dropping an arm casually over my shoulders and bumping her hip against mine.

"Don't look so worried, Santana. I took some self-defence classes at UGA, I can protect you."

"I was worried about you, not me!" I protested, feeling a little reassured anyway that she wasn't quite as easy a target as she appeared.

She laughed, her hand grazing down my back as it dropped to her side. The laughter faded from her face a moment later and she looked across at me with a more serious expression.

"Santana, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Is… is Quinn mad at you?" she asked quietly.

I stared back at her, wondering where that had come from. "What?"

"I'm sorry, I'm not trying to interfere. But you kept arguing the other day. And I don't want you two upset at each other right at the start of the trip. It won't be as fun for you if you're trying to sort that out. And I didn't know if there was anything I could do to help. Or that I shouldn't do to help," she rambled, finally stopping herself and watching me anxiously.

It struck me as ironic that Brittany was worried about _me_ having a good time on this trip considering the conversation I'd had with Mia last night.

"Me and Quinn are fine, don't worry," I assured her. "We argue a lot. Doesn't mean we're mad at each other."

Brittany nodded, looking somewhat reassured, but then her face lit up and she was reaching for my arm to stop me, gesturing at the very average-looking diner we had just walked past.

"How about here for breakfast?"

I stepped back to peer through the misty window, making out tiny booths and only a couple of customers, but it didn't look too terrible.

"Sure, if you want."

She headed through the door the moment I finished speaking. I followed, stopping after only a few steps in surprise. The grubbiness of the windows had prevented me from seeing the place properly, but once inside I found my vision assaulted by a myriad of colourful movie posters. I couldn't see one patch of clear wall - even the ceiling was covered. Brittany was already sitting at one of the booths so I slipped in opposite her next to a particularly large Star Wars poster, which featured Han Solo scowling down at us both.

"This is… interesting," I said as she pushed a laminated sheet that served as a menu towards me. It contained a disproportionate number of egg dishes, some of which sounded very unappealing. Brittany was pouring over them all happily.

"It's nice, isn't it?" she replied with a contented glance around the room, sparing me a brief smile before returning her attention to the menu. I did the same, and a moment later a bored waitress appeared.

"Can I get a coffee and… uh…" I searched the menu one last time for something I actually wanted to eat. "Just a stack of pancakes?"

The waitress raised one, unimpressed eyebrow, jotted something in her notebook and turned to Brittany.

"Coffee, and a fries, ham and pepper omelette please."

The waitress left without one word of acknowledgement and I leaned back in my seat, preparing for a long wait. Brittany settled back as well, smiling across at me.

"Why'd you get pancakes when there's so much else to try?"

"At least I know pancakes taste good. Fries in an omelette sounds disgusting."

She laughed, shaking her head, and I felt a small sense of accomplishment for making her laugh once more.

"But you won't know unless you try it! It's okay, though. You can have some of mine."

I opened my mouth to protest and she laughed again. I snapped it shut, grinning instead and nodded once.

"Alright, I'll try it. One bite. Five bucks says it tastes horrible."

"Deal," she agreed just as the coffee arrived, rather sooner than I'd expected.

I sipped at mine gratefully, letting the caffeine seep in, and watched Brittany spoon heaps of sugar into hers. She caught me looking and shrugged.

"Sugar's nice."

"So is coffee," I replied smoothly. She shook her head, and was about to reply when the waitress returned with two huge plates of food. My stack of pancakes looked fairly normal, but Brittany's omelette was just as weird as I'd expected. She dug in without even pausing to examine it and I watched her expression carefully as she chewed the first bite and swallowed, waiting for her verdict.

"It's really good!"

I scoffed. "No way. You're just saying that cause you don't want to lose five dollars."

She shook her heard earnestly, pushing the plate across the table so it was within my reach. "Try it!"

I eyed the omelette dubiously - but I'd already agreed to have a bite. I cut off a small piece, examining it once before putting it in my mouth, trying not to think about the strange combination. I chewed slowly, at first uncertain, then surprised.

"It's like really good hash brown," I realised aloud when I was done.

"You don't think it tastes disgusting?" Brittany checked.

I rolled my eyes at her, smiling as I reached into my pocket for a five dollar bill and dropped it on the table. She pushed it straight back at me, shaking her head.

"I don't want your money."

I stared at her. "But we had a bet. You won."

"I know. But I never said what I wanted if I won."

I wasn't sure whether to laugh or protest. "Well what do you want?" I eventually asked.

She shrugged, taking another bite of her omelette and gesturing with her free hand, inviting me to have more. I hesitated, then took some. It was a weird combination, but somehow it worked.

"I don't know yet. But I'll tell you when I think of something. And if you don't think it's worth five dollars you can say no."

"I don't think you quite understand the concept of betting."

She grinned cheekily across at me, and I knew she understood it perfectly.

"Normal betting is boring. My way's more fun."

I raised an eyebrow. "I'll judge that when I know what you want from me."

She giggled, and I felt that lift in my stomach again. She really had a gorgeous laugh. It was exactly like Mia's - but Brittany laughed way more than Mia did.

"I promise it won't be anything bad," she said, and I believed her instantly.

"It better not be. I'm avoiding you in Vegas," I retorted anyway, just as my phone beeped. I had a feeling that Vegas with Brittany was going to be even more fun than Vegas normally was. Maybe she could even get Mia relaxed enough to risk gambling.

Unlocking my phone, Mia's name popped up on the screen with a short message asking where we were. I hesitated before replying, glancing across the table at Brittany. There was absolutely no reason not to invite the others to breakfast - but I felt strongly disinclined to do so. This morning with Brittany had been short, but fun. I didn't really want it to end. But we'd have to meet up soon anyway.

_We're at a diner called Pacific. The breakfast is weird but good._

I typed quickly and hit send before I could change my mind. It looked like my morning with Brittany was over - but maybe I could wake up early to join her some other day.

* * *

"Santana, get it!"

I bounded forward at Quinn's call, feet hitting the sand hard as my hands moved up, knocking the ball clear over the net. Mia stumbled as she hurried, managing to nudge the ball back towards me - but not quite enough, and it fell short on the other side of the makeshift court.

"Yes!" I shouted, jumping up in victory and spinning to celebrate with my current volleyball team of Quinn and Puck. I flashed a grin over my shoulder at Mia and found her laughing with Brittany and Tina. She caught my eye and grinned back, then laughed aloud at something Brittany said. I wished I knew what, but Puck was tugging on my arm and muttering something about a victory lunch.

"Mia - burger?" I called to her as she approached.

A sudden wave of thunder rumbled overhead, blocking out the sound of her voice, but I saw her nod.

"Everyone burgers?"

The others all nodded as well and, after checking I had some of the collective gas/food money, I set off with Puck up the beach. I eyed the dark clouds rolling over us.

"We're only here for two days, couldn't you have at least arranged good weather for us?"

Puck grinned at me as we walked up the steps to the pier.

"Sorry Santana. Mother Nature's a bit difficult to hook up with. I did my best. Tried going through contacts, did all I could to get the information out of them-"

"Alright, alright," I interrupted quickly, rolling my eyes at him. I did not need to know any more about Puck's conquests than I already did. It was the one area of his life I actually knew more than enough about. Everything else was pretty much a mystery, even though we lived in the same state. "So what have you been up to recently? Besides that."

He shrugged, not looking at me. "Oh, the usual. Cleaning pools. Working out. You know Jake's down here in LA too?"

"Your brother?" I checked. It had been a while since I'd heard about him - in fact, there'd been barely any mention of him since way back just after we graduated, when Puck had phoned me in New York right after he'd found out about him. Way to drop a bombshell, Schuester.

"Yeah. I go to his gigs sometimes. In fact - he's playing tonight at a club downtown. Quinn said she wanted to go out tonight."

I raised an eyebrow as we stepped in line at the first fast food place we came to. "She did?"

"Well, sort of. I think I persuaded her to, anyway. But you should meet him."

"I dunno, I think just one Puckerman is plenty," I jibed. Truthfully, though, I was kind of curious to meet his brother.

Puck laughed, stepping forward, and I realised we had reached the end of the line. The woman on the other side of the counter was glaring at us, her fingers hovering over the buttons of the till. I quickly scanned the menu board behind her.

"Uh, six cheeseburgers and fries."

"Five burgers," Puck amended. "But six fries."

I turned to stare at him and he shrugged.

"What? Gotta look after myself."

"You're on a _diet_?"

Puck shifted uncomfortably. "Fuck off, Lopez. LA chicks are fussier than in Ohio."

I shook my head at him, holding out a hand for money. He delved into his pockets, producing a very tatty one dollar bill and several coins that I added to what I already had and passed over to the woman behind the counter. She dropped the receipt in front of me and turned, yelling at someone out of sight to grab another box of fries as she stacked up five burgers in her arms and laid them out in front of us.

"Sorry. Ran out of bags," she said, not looking very sorry at all as she turned to start scooping up some fries.

I lifted them as best I could, trying to balance everything, but one still started to topple over the crook of my elbow. I opened my mouth to yell at Puck to grab it, but before I could another hand reached out, catching it easily. My eyes followed the arm up to find Brittany's face smiling at me.

"I saw someone drop a load of fries as they came back down to the beach. Thought you might need a hand," she said, reaching for another of the burgers and sliding it out from where I had it awkwardly pressed against my stomach.

"Thanks," I muttered as Puck collected the fries that had just arrived. Brittany reached for a couple of those as well, balancing them easily, and we began walking together back down the pier.

"So Brittany, you're living in California now? You should come back down to LA sometime and visit me."

I recognised Puck's tone immediately and glared at him. He ignored me, and Brittany remained oblivious.

"Oh yeah, that would be awesome! I've never been to LA much."

"Well great! I'll have to show you the best places to go. And you can crash at my place so you don't have to pay for a hotel."

"Maybe I'll come too," I interrupted, wishing Puck wasn't carrying half the fries so I could kick him. He'd only met Brittany yesterday! And she was still getting over her boyfriend, she didn't need him confusing her.

Puck let out a bark of laughter. "Right, sure Santana. You've only been living here for three years already. How many times have you visited me?"

"I've been busy."

"And Mia hates me," Puck replied, reminding me he was often more intuitive than I gave him credit for. "What would she think if she knew you were coming to visit while she's off in New York? It'd be like last summer all over again."

I scowled at him for the double reminder of the events of last year, as well as the fact that come Christmas Mia would be flying halfway across the country.

"Well that's why I'll come with Brittany. Then it'll be the three of us."

"The three of us sounds good," Puck smirked.

I rolled my eyes at him, purposely slowing as we reached the steps so I was walking next to Brittany instead.

"Sorry about him. Tell me if he gives you any trouble. And you seriously don't have to visit if you don't want to."

"Oh it's fine, I don't mind. And I do want to visit. But it would be great if you came too," she added quietly.

"I will, don't worry. I won't leave you to deal with Puck alone."

She giggled, but I noticed her slow as she did so. I slowed down as well so I still walking besides her.

"Does… does Mia really hate Puck?" she asked quietly.

I glanced ahead and found that Puck was now far enough ahead he wouldn't be able to hear us. He was shouting something at Quinn.

"I don't know if she actually _hates_ him. But she doesn't like him at all. Puck can be a douche at times; he doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut."

Brittany nodded, staring ahead at him. "But he seems like he has a good heart. Even if he's not always very nice."

I turned my head to gaze across at her, surprised. It normally took people a good few months of getting to know Puck before they could make out his good side. God knows it was hard enough for _me_ to find it sometimes.

"You're smart."

Her eyebrows flew up and she stopped walking suddenly. I paused, turning to look at her. She stared at me for a moment, then laughed quietly and shook her head as she started walking again.

"No I'm not."

I frowned across at her. She was examining the fries in her right hand.

"Yeah you are," I countered. "You worked out Puck's a good guy in a day. That's genius-level smart. Mia still hasn't figured that out."

"What haven't I figured out?"

I looked up to see Mia had come over from where the others were sitting. She took a burger from me and one of the packets of fries from Brittany, and stepped in to walk alongside us.

"That Puck's not actually out to make your life a misery."

She rolled her eyes, not bothering to reply, and we made the rest of the journey in silence.

* * *

The rain hammered loudly against the window of our hotel room, almost overpowering the beep of my cell phone. I unlocked it and quickly read Puck's text.

"The gig's off tonight. Puck says we should still go out, but…" I trailed off, my eyes flicking to the weather.

"We really need to be up early tomorrow," Mia reasoned.

"And we'll be able to go out with Puck in Vegas," Quinn added, eyes never leaving her book.

Tina shrugged her indifference, but standing next to the window Brittany sighed. I sat up, crawling to the end of the bed I was lying on with Mia and hopping off the end to go stand next to her and look outside. I could barely see the railing on the edge of the balcony, and the street lights were faint glowing blobs in the distance.

"You still want to go out?" I asked.

"I want to dance. I haven't been out properly since our last night in Atlanta."

"Well we definitely will tomorrow, even if it's bad weather again," I promised her. She continued to stare forlornly out of the window. I sighed, reaching for the door and pulling it ajar so I could get a proper look and see if it really was so bad. A gust of wind hit me immediately, and the cacophony of the rain intensified. I turned back to her to repeat that there was no way we were going out tonight, but found her suddenly looking a lot brighter as she stared at me, the whisperings of a smirk on her face. "…What?"

She sidled closer to me. "You owe me."

"I… oh. No. Going out in this is worth way more than five dollars."

"Well we don't have to properly go out," she replied, resting her head against the wall as she smiled at me, tempting me with her eyes. "I just want to dance. And I've always wanted to dance in the rain."

"We'll get soaked. And probably sick as well."

"Not from one dance. Come on. You lost the bet."

She raised her hand and it hovered in the air between us, waiting for me to acquiesce. I lifted my own hand to run through my hair, shifting slightly so I could see the rest of the room's occupants, who were all watching. Quinn was staring at me with one of her 'are you crazy?' expressions, but Tina and Mia were grinning like idiots.

"Please?"

I dropped my hand into hers.

"One dance."

Her fingers tightened around mine then she was brushing past, pulling me out of the door and along the hallway.

"Are we really doing this in the rain?" I called over the noise of it.

She spun around to look at me, grinning widely. "Of course! That's the whole point of dancing in the rain! Isn't it on your bucket list?"

"I don't have a bucket list."

"Oh. Well, we'll make you one. And dancing in the rain can go at the top so you have something to tick off straight away."

She hurried down the steps and I had no choice but to follow. She paused at the bottom but I didn't stop in time and bumped into her, pushing us both out from under the shelter of the roof. She squealed at the same time as I jumped backwards, but she wouldn't let me. Her hand tightened around mine and she pulled me out again into the downpour. I was drenched instantly, the water saturating my clothes and putting to waste the time I had spent washing and drying my hair only half an hour ago.

My eyes fell on Brittany and found her looking just as soaked, but she was laughing as she tugged me out into the middle of the parking lot. She moved so gracefully even now, as she lifted the hand she was holding and spun me around. My shoes skidded over the gravel but she kept me upright easily with a light hold. Against the yellow glow coming from the window of our hotel room I caught a glimpse of three silhouettes leaning on the railing, but then I was facing Brittany again and I forgot all about our audience as she stepped in, placing one hand on my waist and curling her fingers tighter around mine. My skin tingled under her touch and I released a breathy laugh. She smiled encouragingly at me then took another step, this time turning us both. She moved us to her own melody; it played from somewhere within her.

We spun as one. It had been years since I'd danced like this, but she made it feel as natural as breathing. I could almost hear the music we were dancing to, reverberating in the air around us. The rain seemed to hit us in perfect time with the beat, but any discomfort caused by it had faded with Brittany's first step. The sounds of the deluge all around us shifted, transposing to our movement until we were surrounded by a symphony. Time seeped away. My gaze remained fixed on her face. I couldn't have looked away if I'd tried.

Dancing, she was more alive than I'd ever seen her before. Her blonde hair was darkened by the rain and stuck in patches to her skin. Raindrops trickled down the contours of her face. A few beads of water were stuck to her eyelashes, and with every step, every turn, her smile remained constant and her eyes never left mine.

She's beautiful.

A twinge of guilt ran through me at the same moment I realised I'd been drinking her in. She twirled me again but, distracted by my thoughts, I stumbled. Her arms slid quickly around me and kept me on my feet. She held me like that for a second then pulled back, but her hands still hovered on my waist. Her cheeks were flushed and she was breathing a little faster than usual. She'd been doing all the work, I'd just been following. But she'd moved so seamlessly and made it so easy I hadn't realised until now.

"You're a dancer," I breathed with realisation.

She giggled and nodded. "You're not so bad at it either."

I smiled up at her, pausing before replying. "But nothing like you."

A sudden roll of thunder made us both jump, and her hands tightened around me.

"You two are gonna get pneumonia if you stay out much longer!" Mia shouted from the balcony.

The symphony crackled and died.

I turned my head to see her heading back into the room, the others already gone. The rain had lessened, enough for me to hear her over the sound of it hitting the roof, but a shiver ran through me and made me realise just how cold I actually was. I took a step back, and Brittany's hands fell from my waist. She kept smiling at me, though.

"Thank you, Santana. That was fun."

"If I get sick from this, you owe me. That was way more than five bucks worth," I replied quickly, trying to chase away the butterflies that had erupted in my stomach at some point during our dance but which I was only noticing now. I wasn't sure if I was feeling shaky because of the cold or something else. I tried not to think about it.

"Well in that case you need to come up with something more exciting than five dollars for me to pay you back," she challenged, reaching between us as we reached the bottom of the steps. For a moment I thought she was going to reclaim my hand, but then her pinky wiggled around mine. "Friends don't let friends make boring bets."

I grinned at her, trying not to tremble as we walked up the steps together. "Well hate to break it to you, but we're headed to Vegas tomorrow and I don't think the poker tables there will accept a dance instead of money."

"Maybe if I offer them the right kind of dance," Brittany said, pulling her pinky away and winking once before darting through the open door to our right. I stared after her, trying to work out if she had been joking or not. Another violent shiver wracked through my body and I put it to the back of my mind as I followed her through into the warmth of our room. The harmonies of Brittany's music continued to echo through my head, and I wondered if I'd ever be able to forget it.

* * *

**Should have said this at the start really. But as this is from Santana's POV I'm doing my best to use American terminology – so if you notice something British slipping in, please let me know :)**

**Also, the update time of this chapter is dependent on whether Ellie gets her homework done in time cause she needs motivation. So I told her if she got it done early the chapter would be up early. And if she gets it done late the chapter goes up late. So thank/blame her for that.**


	6. Ignoring the Odds

Chapter Five: Ignoring the Odds

I woke up shivering and reached for the blanket, only to find it wasn't there. I reached further to the side, slowly becoming aware that I wasn't even lying down, and my arm knocked into something. I blinked several times, squinting against the sunlight and wincing as I realised just how much my neck was aching. I turned my head slowly to see what I had knocked, and found Quinn sitting next to me in the driver's seat. That was right. We'd got up early to drive. I must have fallen back asleep. I twisted my head further around and saw Mia and Brittany's heads resting on each of Tina's shoulders; all three were sleeping.

"What time is it?" I mumbled, settling back in my seat and looking over at Quinn.

She kept her eyes firmly on the road as she answered. "Just after nine. We're about half an hour away."

"That was quick. You haven't been speeding now, have you?"

She rolled her eyes, but I could see her press her lips together in an effort not to smile. "That's what happens when you sleep through the journey. The road's been really clear, though. Brittany said it was when she was driving too."

I glanced back again, this time focusing on Brittany as I remembered our dance together. I was almost regretting it a little now. My throat was scratchy already, signalling an upcoming cold. Hopefully she wouldn't get sick as well. But even a sore throat and the memory of shivering for a good half hour last night while wrapped in a towel wasn't enough to make me properly regret dancing in the rain with her. It had been fun, and thinking back on how she had smiled down at me brought a smile to my own face.

"What's so funny?" Quinn asked, interrupting my stream of thought.

"Oh. Nothing. Just last night," I admitted after a slight pause, retraining my eyes on the road ahead. In the corner of my vision I could see Quinn grinning.

"I can't believe you did that. You were like a drowned rat by the end of it. And I'm not going to be the one looking after you when you get sick."

I cleared my throat, trying to rid myself of the scratchiness so it wouldn't be so obvious in my voice. Unfortunately it turned into a choke, and then a cough that I attempted to muffle so I wouldn't wake up the others.

"Shut up," I muttered when I finally had my voice under control again, glaring across at Quinn.

"Didn't say a thing," she replied loftily.

"Yeah, but your thoughts are deafening me. I get enough of that from Mia."

Quinn's grin faded, and she took her eyes off the road for the first time to glance over at me.

"How are things between you guys now?" she asked, her voice lower than before.

I checked the backseat again, but they all still looked asleep, and I could hear light snores coming from Mia. I spoke quietly nevertheless.

"It's fine. Mostly. We don't argue as much now we're not living together."

"Is Puck being with us going to cause a problem?"

I winced at the reminder, knowing he was somewhere either ahead or behind us on the road right now - most likely ahead. Mia had been okay with him for the past couple of days, but the chances of that lasting were very small.

"I'm not sure," I admitted. Previous arguments flashed through my mind, but none were as prominent as the memory of last summer, shortly after Puck had visited Sacramento. It was almost exactly a year ago now. "She's not so..." I hesitated, looking back again. For a second I thought Brittany was staring straight back at me - but then I blinked, and she looked just as asleep as before. Mia was still snoring. "We don't argue so much. But I can still tell when she's annoyed. We just kinda... avoid the subjects that we argue about. And it works, mostly. But it might be hard with Puck about again," I explained as quickly as I could, keeping my voice low. Mia was as aware of it as I was. And she probably wouldn't mind me talking to Quinn about it - Quinn was my best friend. It wasn't like I'd never overheard her talking to Tina about me before. It was just a little awkward.

"Why'd you invite him then?"

"I didn't! He invited himself! Anyway, you were the one getting all snuggly with him in LA. Something going on again there?" I asked, wiggling my eyebrows at her.

To my surprise, she didn't laugh - but she did shake her head, a small smile playing on her lips.

"No. That's not going to happen again."

"Then what was it you guys were talking about the other day?" I asked, intrigued by her response. I'd expected an immediate, loud protest of denial.

"I... it's nothing. Nothing you need to worry about."

"Quinn!"

"How'd we get onto me and Puck? We were meant to be talking about you and him and Mia."

"Well that's nothing like as interesting as you refusing to answer questions about him," I replied, twisting in my seat so I was leaning against the window and could look at her properly.

"But that's not as immediate as the fact that we're spending the next three days with you three in the same place and I'd rather not get caught in the crossfire."

I sighed, peering back through the gap in my headrest at Mia. She looked peaceful. It was kind of nice to see her like that. She'd been so stressed about her finals and getting all this organised recently. This trip would do her good before she set off for med school and took on way more work than she should. My eyes flicked across the backseat to find Brittany. She was so different to Mia - and yet they had similarities. They were both passionate about certain things. They had the same laugh. They were fun, in their own ways, even if it did take a little bit of work to get Mia to relax enough to have fun. I doubted that was a problem with Brittany.

"Santana?"

Quinn's voice knocked me out of my thoughts and I faced her again, shaking my head. "It'll be fine, Quinn. She doesn't want to argue anymore about him. Neither do I."

Despite my reassurances to Quinn, I couldn't help but worry. Puck and Mia hadn't been around each other like this since last summer. But there was nothing that could be done about it now. I rested my head against the window, gazing out at the barren landscape. A flash of colour caught my attention and my eyes focused in on the approaching blue sign.

_LAS VEGAS 20_

"Oh… we're almost there!"

I shifted quickly to find the source of the new voice and found Brittany staring at the same sign. She was rubbing at her eyes like she'd just woken up. Tina stirred a second after Brittany spoke, and when she shifted Mia's head fell off her shoulder and she jerked awake.

"W-what?"

I grinned at her before settling back in my seat.

"20 miles till Vegas."

* * *

"Where have you been? I got here like an hour ago!" Puck exclaimed as I stepped out of the car. I could see his tiny car parked just a few rows down, but he was coming from the opposite direction with a beer in one hand.

"Come on, you know Quinn was driving, you're lucky we even got here this morning," I replied, slamming the car door shut behind me and ignoring her glare. It didn't feel quite so cramped in there anymore now all the bags had been dropped at our hotel, but I was still glad to be outside. "I see you've already found the nearest bar."

"Had to do something while I was waiting," he countered with a grin.

I felt a hand slip into mine and found Mia next to me.

"So where to first? Besides the bar?" she asked, sending a withering look at Puck. He rolled his eyes but fortunately didn't retort. I guessed he really was making an effort. Quinn stepped up next to me, pocketing the car keys and gesturing at the hotel we could see one street over.

"Venetian's right there. I'm sure it can't compare to the real Venice - but gondola ride, anyone?"

"I've never been on a gondola!" Brittany piped up from next to her, grinning broadly.

I grinned straight back at her. "Then I guess gondola ride it is," I agreed, tugging on Mia's hand.

We walked as a group in the direction of the clock tower that could be seen through a gap in the buildings, following the narrow path through onto the Strip. I'd been a couple of times before, but it always surprised me a little at how many different people populated Vegas. My first visit, shortly after starting my second year at Sacramento and in the company of Mia, I'd been amazed to find grandparents and kids alongside all the college students I'd expected. Neither of us were 21 then, but even with Mia refusing to try and gamble with fake IDs, it wasn't a weekend I was likely to forget anytime soon. I glanced over at her and found her watching me, and knew she was remembering it as well. We'd just walked past the bar where she'd kissed me for the first time.

The Venetian was just as I remembered. The casino had a golden glow to it, accompanied by strangely regal-looking architecture and a multitude of classical paintings that had probably been produced en masse in some factory. The whole Renaissance-inspired atmosphere was bizarrely offset by the flashing lights and beeps of hundreds of slot machines. We left the casino for now, instead heading straight through to the Vegas version of the Grand Canal.

"Hey, it's like Hogwarts! The ceiling's painted like the sky!" Brittany exclaimed, craning her neck to stare at the luminous blue ceiling with clouds dotted around.

"The Hogwarts ceiling isn't painted. It's enchanted, to be an exact replica of the weather outside," Quinn interjected immediately. "This is hardly an exact replica. There's no clouds outside."

Brittany blinked at her, and Quinn's cheeks reddened. "What? It's common knowledge. Haven't you read the books?"

"No."

"_No?_" Quinn yelped, almost tripping as she stepped into the gondola line at the same time as turning to stare at Brittany. "But… what? None of them?"

"I watched the films," Brittany replied with a shrug, frowning a little as she took in Quinn's shocked expression. "Uh… did I do something wrong?" she asked in a stage whisper, turning her head to look back at me.

I reached out to pat her on the shoulder, pulling slightly so she fell in line next to me and Mia.

"Ignore Quinn. You've just uncovered her inner geek. She'll forgive you eventually."

Quinn shook her head at both of us as she pulled out her wallet and shuffled forward in the line. Next to me, Mia paused. I turned and found her frowning at the board displaying prices. She looked at me and I knew what she was about to say. She'd worked part-time in the university library and saved for months so she could afford this trip. I was lucky I still had enough of the money my mom had given me for New York to not worry about expensive extras - the same was not true for Mia.

"Sixteen dollars for a boat ride?" Puck exclaimed from behind me. "I'm not paying that!"

I winced as Mia froze. I took a quick step closer to her and lowered my voice. "I can pay for you." Leaving Puck and Mia alone together was asking for trouble.

She sighed and shook her head. "Don't worry about it."

"Or I can wait with you."

"No, you should do it. Don't worry," she repeated

"Santana?"

Quinn was standing at the counter, looking back at me. I glanced at Mia one last time and she gave me a quick smile. I reached for a twenty dollar bill and passed it over to Quinn, accepting the ticket and change she passed me in return and checking the time it said.

"Okay, so we've got like twenty minutes."

"Casino time?" Puck grinned.

"Bet I win more money than you," Brittany challenged. I laughed aloud at her words and she shot me a quick, secretive smile.

Puck didn't appear to notice my interruption. "Ha, deal. Ten bucks."

Brittany nodded, not replying verbally, and I bit my lip to stop myself laughing. She met my eyes again as she followed him back in the direction of the slot machines. I walked at a slower pace, alongside Mia, Tina and Quinn, although really I wanted to hurry and see who was going to win that bet - or more specifically, what Brittany was going to ask for in return if she won.

By the time we had caught up, Brittany and Puck were already sitting side by side at two of the machines. Brittany was furiously hitting buttons while Puck appeared to be working his more tactically - but then a moment later, lights started flashing in front of Brittany.

"Beginner's luck," Puck scoffed immediately, returning to his machine and pressing another button. Brittany bounced up from her machine a second later, collecting a slip of paper from the bottom, and he turned to stare at her. "Giving up already?"

"Well I already won fourteen dollars. I'll lose that if I carry on."

"Or you'll win more. But hey, no, don't let me interfere. If you want to stop on fourteen that's fine by me," Puck declared, spinning back around on his chair to continue the game. I took Brittany's place at the machine, feeding a dollar bill into it and pulling the lever to start the slots rolling. Next to me I heard Puck groan, and from the corner of my eye I saw him fish out his wallet and put more money in.

"I think I'm winning," Brittany said in a sing-song voice.

"Fuck off," Puck muttered.

"Hey, don't speak to Brittany like that!" I objected, shoving him lightly and almost making him overbalance and fall off the stool. Brittany giggled behind me, and I looked over my shoulder to grin at her.

"Huh, so people actually do get married in Vegas, it's not just in the movies…" Quinn commented, peering over at where a man and woman in wedding attire were being led through the building by a photographer.

Mia sighed, rolling her eyes. "Yep. Sixty dollars and a couple of forms. Sanctity of marriage at its finest."

"They look happy," Brittany murmured.

Mia blinked and turned to look curiously at her. She didn't notice. She was watching the couple disappear around a corner, a smile playing at her lips. I found myself smiling as well as I turned back to the machine. Of course I agreed with Mia. It was ridiculous how drunk idiots could get married on a whim, and yet if I went in with her we'd be turned away. But it was also kind of refreshing to hear Brittany's comment.

"Ah shit!"

I turned to look at Puck, who was glaring at his machine as he stood.

"I think Britt won," I said.

He shook his head immediately, turning to face her. "You've still got to go on those gondolas, and while you're at it I'm gonna find a poker table. Then we'll see who's won more."

Brittany shrugged, grinning up at him. "Okay, if you want."

"I'll make sure he doesn't cheat," Mia added, prompting an eye-roll from Puck. He didn't get a chance to comment, though, because Quinn spoke up.

"We should probably head back now, actually. We don't want to miss our slot."

I hit one last button, and with my failure to win anything I hopped off the stool. I grabbed the sleeve of Puck's shirt, pulling him down to my level so I could hiss in his ear.

"Be nice."

He grinned down at me and I glared up at him, trying to let him know I was serious. He shrugged out of my hold a second later, rolling his eyes at me, but I thought I had got the message across. And I didn't think he'd do anything too stupid anyway. He'd seemed genuinely remorseful when he'd heard how his presence had caused so much trouble last summer. For a little while at least. I kissed Mia lightly on the cheek, meeting her eyes as I stepped back and silently asking her to be nice as well.

"We'll be back soon," I promised her, waiting until I received a strained smile in reply before turning to follow the others who had already uttered their goodbyes. I was still uncertain about how this was going to work out, but there wasn't much to be done about it now. Brittany dropped back from where she had been walking with Quinn and Tina to fall in beside me.

"Are you okay? You look worried," she said quietly.

I was reminded of the fluttering of her eyelids in the car earlier this morning, and wondered again how much she'd heard of my conversation with Quinn. I forced a smile and shook my head.

"I'm fine," I replied dismissively.

She continued to watch me as we returned to the canal, not looking at all convinced. Her hand knocked against my arm and a second later her pinky squeezed around mine as she gave me a reassuring smile. I could almost hear her thinking at me that we were friends, and that I could talk to her if I wanted to. I suddenly felt guilty for lying to her, and pulled my eyes away to examine the gondolas on our right as we joined the queue. When Quinn glanced back I saw her gaze fall to our linked pinkies. She lifted an eyebrow at me, but I did the same straight back at her, challenging her to say anything. I didn't want Brittany to feel like her gesture wasn't appreciated. Quinn just smirked in that annoying way she sometimes did, and returned to discussing some old book with Tina.

I stepped into the gondola, ignoring the outstretched hand of the grinning man dressed in his ridiculous outfit. I settled into the seat opposite Tina and Quinn - who were momentarily distracted from their literature discussion to take in the fact that they were in a gondola - and Brittany hopped in a second later, thanking the gondolier even though she hadn't taken his hand either. It was a little more squashed with four of us in than it had looked, and Brittany's elbow knocked into me as she reached into her bag.

"Oh, sorry!"

"Don't worry about it," I dismissed, somewhat annoyed by the incredulous expression Quinn sent my way. Was it that hard to believe that I could be nice to someone? I liked Brittany. She wasn't arrogant and she didn't make stupid comments like so many other people. I wasn't that much of a bitch to be nasty to her when she'd just knocked me accidentally. I'd grown up since high school. A bit, at least.

I wasn't sure if I felt like laughing or crying when I saw Brittany's camcorder in her hands a second later, just as we pushed off from the wall and began to float down the canal. She flipped it open, then turned to balance it on the back of the boat so it was pointing ahead, placing one hand lightly on the top to keep it in place. I watched her for a second as she hit the record button, then swivelled quickly to sneeze over the other side of the boat.

"Oh, Santana! Are you getting sick?" Brittany asked in dismay, all her attention focusing on me. "I shouldn't have made you come outside last night, I'm sorry!"

I grimaced as I turned back to face her and shook my head. "Don't worry," I repeated, "it's just a cold."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Quinn shake her head. I ignored her. I'd known I wouldn't get any sympathy from her. But Brittany was biting her lip as she stared at me with guilt written all over her face. I nudged her with my shoulder, trying to prompt a smile from her. It worked a little; the corners of her mouth moved upwards and her eyes met mine.

"I guess I just owe you now," she replied.

My mind flew back to her words from last night about betting in Vegas.

_Maybe if I offer them the right kind of dance._

I tried to keep a straight face, but it was hard, especially when Brittany's lips were shifting into an outright grin. I wondered if she was thinking about the same thing I was. When she started giggling I was pretty sure she was, and it became impossible to keep in the laughter. I was vaguely aware that Quinn and Tina's conversation had stopped and they were both staring over at us, but with Brittany leaning into me, snickering into my shoulder, it was difficult to care.

The gondola ride passed astonishingly fast. I wasn't sure if we'd been ripped off or if it was just because Brittany was making me laugh the whole time. Just as we turned around at the end of the canal the gondolier started to sing, and I managed to calm down for a few seconds - but then Brittany whispered to me that she wasn't sure why he was dressed like he was French when gondolas were from Italy and it set me off again. I wasn't sure how Quinn and Tina weren't laughing as well - could they not hear what Brittany was saying?

I paused after stepping out, leaning against the railing next to Brittany as Tina complimented the gondolier on his singing. Quinn stepped up next to me, raising her eyebrows.

"Having fun?"

I grinned straight back at her. "Yep."

She shook her head, but I could see the whisperings of a grin on her face as well. Quinn could come across as condescending sometimes, and I knew she didn't understand why I was laughing with Brittany so much, but she was glad I was laughing. My phone beeped and I pulled it out of my pocket, sliding a finger across the screen to read the message from Mia.

_Done yet?_

I frowned at the text, my uneasiness at leaving Mia and Puck alone coming back full force. That did not sound good. I glanced back to find Tina still chattering away with the gondolier.

"I'm gonna go find them. See you in a minute," I said briefly to Quinn and Brittany, turning away without waiting for a reply to head back in the direction of the casino. They were not by the slot machines we'd been at before, so I walked further into the buzzing room towards the larger tables which several people were gathered around. I passed two of the tables and walked up a short flight of stairs before I finally found them, and my heart sank. Mia was switching between glaring at Puck and eyeing her phone, while Puck was slumped in a seat to one side of one of the poker tables. As I watched, Mia said something and he rolled his eyes, prompting a scowl from Mia, whose eyes snapped back to her phone. I realised she was probably waiting for a reply from me, so I started walking towards them again.

Puck spotted me first but didn't move apart from to wave one hand in a half-hearted greeting. The motion caught Mia's attention and her head jerked up, finding me a few seconds later. She walked towards me without even a glance at Puck, her arms crossed and the scowl still visible on her face.

"Your friend's a fucking idiot," she hissed once she was close enough for me to hear her over the din of the casino. Puck slouched after her, not meeting my eyes. I reached out for one of her hands and entwined my fingers with hers.

"What happened?"

"Imbecile there lost all his money and persuaded me to lend some. Which he promptly lost as well."

"...You agreed to give him money?" I asked incredulously. I realised a second too late that was a bad thing to say when she snatched her hand back.

"You were the one who told me to be nicer around him. Well that was me being nice, and look where it's got me," she snapped.

"He'll pay you back. Won't you, Puck?" I said, turning to him for reassurance. He hesitated, and Mia swore under her breath as she brushed past me. I turned to see her joining Tina, Quinn and Brittany, who were waiting at the bottom of the steps a few feet away. Quinn had one hand on Brittany's arm, holding her in place, and they were both looking straight at me. Tina's attention was solely on Mia. Quinn took a step towards me, closely followed by Brittany - but then Quinn turned. I couldn't see what she was saying with her back turned to me, but after a few seconds of discussion Brittany turned and walked slowly after Tina and Mia, sparing me one last glance that I could immediately read as an apology. As they disappeared down the corridor, I rounded on Puck, who was eyeing the ceiling.

"Seriously, Puckerman?"

"I thought I was winning," he muttered.

"Of course you fucking did," I sneered. I felt Quinn's hand on my shoulder a moment later.

"Come on. We should go find somewhere for lunch. Leave Mia to cool off."

I frowned at her, surprised she wasn't criticising Puck even more than I was for being stupid, but she tugged on my arm in the opposite direction to where Mia, Tina and Brittany had just gone. I walked slowly, every so often shooting a glare back at Puck, who looked suitably ashamed of himself. So much for my reassurances to Quinn that everything would be fine.

* * *

After about an hour we met up again, although Tina, Brittany, Quinn and I made sure to keep a safe distance between Puck and Mia. Puck was still sulking about losing the money - and consequently the bet to Brittany - and kept surprisingly quiet for the rest of the day. I could tell that Mia was just trying to ignore him and not be annoyed, but she was also acting cold with me. I had a feeling it was because of my immediate reaction to hearing she'd lent him money - but come on, was I really not supposed to be surprised at that? She'd made such a fuss last year when I'd let him crash on the couch in our apartment, and now she was giving him money to bet with?

By the evening, things had cooled down. Mia was more relaxed after we'd spent the rest of the day away from casinos - or at least as far away from them as you could get in Vegas - exploring the ridiculously themed hotels and heading up the Stratosphere Tower, and at dinner she was laughing again at something Brittany had said. Of course Brittany could make her laugh. Swallowing a bite of the pasta I had ordered, I turned the subject to later that night.

"So where are we heading tonight? Cause I did promise Britt we'd go out," I said, grinning down the table at her. She punched the air in victory and I had to bite my lip to stop myself laughing. "There's that bar - the one we passed earlier near the parking lot," I suggested, my eyes turning to Mia and hoping for a smile. I got it as she nodded.

"Yes. We should go there," she agreed immediately.

"Wait, which bar? We've passed loads of bars," Tina said, looking curiously between the two of us.

"Oh, it's just one we've been to before. It's a nice place," Mia replied, finally breaking eye contact with me and turning to Tina. I felt a degree of relief. Maybe this would just pass without any more discussion.

As the rest of dinner continued without any further hostility between Mia and Puck I relaxed more, and by the time we left the restaurant it was as if the earlier argument had never happened. Puck disappeared back to his hotel when we returned to ours to get ready, but after a slight mix up with the keys it was already ten by the time we met up with him again, back in the parking lot outside his hotel. At first I'd been confused why he was staying in a different place and he hadn't really given any explanation - but now I was glad for it. The more space I could keep between him and Mia, the better.

The bar was exactly as I remembered it. It was so huge it was basically a club, and only retained the word 'bar' in its name because that was what it was well known as. The obligatory neon lights flashed yellow and green, with a mixture of fake and real palm trees scattered around the edge of the room. Tropical-sounding music blared loudly from the centre of the room, and a flight of stairs at the back led up to another level. It was just as tacky as the rest of Vegas - but it had the double advantage of comparatively cheap drinks, and a distinct lack of poker tables. A few slot machines still lined the walls, but they were surprisingly vacant; the bar's patrons apparently preferred the crowded dance floor. Next to me, Brittany was staring longingly towards it, but she followed the rest of us to the bar anyway.

Quinn managed to shuffle through the mass of people and attract the barman's attention relatively quickly - I wasn't sure when she'd acquired that skill, but it was certainly new. Obviously Yale had done something good for her.

"Double JD and coke," I said loudly when she turned to me. My eyes wandered over the spirits lined up against the brick wall, seeing what else was on offer as she turned her attention to Puck who was standing just behind me.

"Nothing."

I twisted my head to stare up at him, and he shifted uncomfortably.

"What'll your girlfriend say if I start buying drinks when I owe her?" he replied with a scowl, crossing his arms against his chest. I felt Mia's hand tighten around mine and I glared at him before turning back to her. I collected both our drinks from Quinn, passing over the money in the process and handing Mia's back to her.

"Come on, let's go," I murmured to her, taking a sip from my drink and trying not to wince when it burnt my throat. That tasted stronger than a double. I led her away from the bar - and, more specifically, Puck - towards the staircase. We could meet up with the others later. First, there was somewhere I wanted to go.

Mia realised where I was leading her after only a few seconds and quickened her pace to walk besides me. She shot me a grin, looking more relaxed now. Hopefully I could distract her from Puck enough to stop it becoming any more of an issue than it already was. We walked up the stairs together, bypassing the more popular first floor that was as crowded as downstairs to climb another, narrower staircase onto the small roof terrace. A few others were up there, but most people didn't seem to realise this place existed. I led Mia over to the edge of it, away from the other people.

It wasn't the best view, looking away from the Strip rather than inwards, but it was exactly where we had stood a year and a half ago. That trip had been a lot less planned out than this one. Mia had been persuaded to go for a trip during fall break by her roommate, but when her roommate had dropped out at the last minute she hadn't wanted to go alone. She'd asked me casually in class if I knew anyone who wanted the plane tickets. I had jokingly replied that I'd happily have gone with her. And then things had taken off - in more ways than one.

I was broken out of my memories when I felt Mia release my hand and move around so she was standing directly in front of me. She looked out across the city for a few moments before returning her attention to me.

"This seems familiar," she murmured, placing one hand on my hip and pulling me closer. I set my drink down on the wall and traced over the back of her ribcage with my fingertips, tilting my face upwards.

"Deja vu," I agreed with a slight smirk, and she leaned in to kiss me. It was short, and sweet - entirely different to the drunken hastiness of her kiss the last time we'd stood here. I sighed contentedly against her lips when she pulled away, opening my eyes to find her smiling down at me. I loved her smile. It was nice to see it without the usual indicators of her being stressed over work or school. Except... there was still the slightly distant look in her eyes, that reminded me instantly of the events from earlier in the day. I sighed again, pressing my lips against hers once again before speaking.

"Mia, don't worry about the money. I'll give it to you, and then Puck can just owe me. Okay?"

The smile slid off her face, replaced by a frown.

"That's not the point, Santana. I don't care about the money."

I raised an eyebrow at her and she rolled her eyes. Her hands dropped from around me and she took a step back.

"Okay, I do. But not as much as I care that you made me feel like an idiot for giving him money. The only reason I did that was to make you happy!"

"I didn't tell you to give him money. _I _wouldn't lend him money to gamble with."

She crossed her arms, outright scowling now, and I wondered where our moment had gone. It had dissipated just as fast as so many other moments had before.

"Well I'm sorry for not reading between the lines for what qualifies as '_nice_'. And seriously. Why are you friends with him when you know he pulls shit like this?"

"_Again_?" I snapped, my mind returning to previous arguments I thought we had put behind us. I tried to keep my voice quiet so the other people on the roof wouldn't be able to hear what was being said. "He's not a bad guy, you just insist on seeing the worst in him!"

"Come on, he's a complete douche! And yet you said he could come anyway. You were the one who didn't want Brittany crashing our trip, but you invite him along!"

I was vaguely aware that heads were now turning in our direction, but I had stopped caring whether people were listening in. I couldn't believe she was _still_ going on about this! As if she had the right to vet my own friends!

"You agreed he could come! And it was totally different with Brittany. Puck's only with us for a couple days, and I checked with everyone _before_ saying he could come - whereas you just agreed with Tina and dropped it on me with no choice!"

"At least I knew you wouldn't hate her!"

"You didn't know that! You just fucking guessed, and I don't have much of a choice in not hating her when she's with us for fucking two months!"

"Oh fuck off Santana, stop acting like a martyr just cause your plans didn't work out."

"Yeah, _I'm _the one who cares whether plans work out. _You're_ the one with the lists and timeline and ten fucking guidebooks!"

I clenched my fists at my sides to try and stop myself shaking as I scowled up at her. She stared at me for a few seconds before shaking her head dismissively, taking one step closer to hiss at me, her voice low once again.

"I'd like to see how well you get around without my help. I don't want your money. I'll get it myself from Puckerman."

She left without another word, disappearing back down the staircase. I glared after her, then glared at the rest of the people on the roof looking in my direction. They quickly averted their eyes. It took me a moment to notice Brittany, hovering a few steps from the staircase. She met my eyes for barely a second then swivelled. Suddenly realising she might have heard what I'd said about her, I moved quickly. I ignored the renewed stares as I clattered down the staircase after her.

"Britt!"

She was halfway down the hallway, but froze when I called her name. She turned slowly to face me as I approached, and I saw she was chewing on her lower lip and looking just as uncertain as she had the first time I'd seen her. I hesitated and looked past her, but Mia was nowhere to be found. My attention returned to Brittany, who was shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Every so often her eyes would dart to my face, and search for a second, before moving away again to stare at the wall or the floor or the ceiling.

"I'm sorry," I muttered, at exactly the same time she choked out a "sorry".

Our eyes met again, and there was a moment of humour that passed between us before the awkwardness returned.

"Sorry," Brittany repeated, gazing anywhere but at me. "You first."

"No, go on," I replied.

She bit her lip again, eyeing the ceiling. "I- I didn't know how much you wanted it to be just you four. I'm sorry. I wouldn't have come if I'd known. Tina said it was fine. So did Mia. I didn't mean to intrude. I don't have to come. I can go back to LA with Puck, head back to San Francisco from there-"

I could feel my eyes widen as she spoke and I stepped forward quickly, shaking my head.

"No no, Britt, that's not it! I want you to come!"

She looked at me again, her expression dubious.

"You just said-"

"I know. I know, and I'm sorry. I was just pissed that Mia was being so hypocritical. I didn't mean that I didn't want you with us. I like you. You know that. I don't want you to go back to San Francisco and be alone all summer."

"But… I… I don't want you feeling like you have to have me around, just because I'll be on my own. I'll work something out. Meeting people is easy."

"Meeting people is easy - but finding friends isn't. And we're friends, Britt. That's why I want you with us. Not because I don't want you to be alone. I mean, I don't want you to be alone," I clarified, stumbling over my words and glancing down the corridor to check no one else from our group was near to overhear. I wasn't sure why that concerned me. But it did. "But that's not the only reason I want you with us. Okay?"

She looked at me properly again, searching with her eyes just like she had in the car back in San Francisco. I still didn't know what she was searching for when she looked at me like that. But the seconds passed, and the tension seemed to ease out of her. She gave me a small smile, and I made sure to smile back. The adrenaline from my fight with Mia was fading, and I felt a sense of relief that I hadn't messed things up with Brittany as well. I'd thought taking Mia up to the roof where we'd first kissed would be a good way to distract her. Obviously I'd been wrong about that.

"Are you and Mia gonna be okay?"

I blinked, my attention returning to Brittany.

"Yeah. Don't worry," I replied shortly. I moved, walking past her and tapping her on the shoulder as I did to get her to follow me. I didn't want to talk about Mia. I wanted to get another drink - because apparently I'd left mine on the roof terrace, and I was not risking drinking that now even if I went back to fetch it - and dance, and pretend like everything was fine. "Come dance with me," I said, turning my head to smile back at her when I realised she wasn't following. She hesitated, then smiled and nodded.

We headed back down the stairs together. I spotted Mia when we were only halfway down, talking with Tina to one side of the dance floor. Quinn was standing awkwardly nearby, and Puck was nowhere to be seen. I approached slowly, not wanting to attract Mia's attention but also not wanting to leave Quinn hovering. She noticed me before I was even halfway across the room and moved towards me. Tina's eyes flicked over at me for a second, but her attention remained focused on Mia.

"Where'd Puck go?" I called over the music once Quinn was close enough to hear.

She sighed and shook her head. "He took off just after Mia came back down. Left his phone behind at the bar as well," she added, holding up the battered iPhone. Her gaze turned to Mia, then came back to me, her eyes questioning. I wondered what was holding back the inquisition until I remembered Brittany was standing right behind me. Thank god for that. Talking to Brittany had calmed me down a little. Ranting to Quinn would only get me worked up again, and I didn't want that. We were only here for two days.

"Come on, let's dance," I suggested, reaching for both Quinn and Brittany's hands and pulling them towards the throng of people. We were in Vegas, and whatever Mia was mad at me about, I was going to have some fun.

* * *

**This Monday I start my new job, and this Thursday nanowrimo starts and I'm focusing on a different writing project for that – meaning for November at least I may not be able to keep up with the weekly updates. I'll do my best, but I really don't know how busy I'm going to be until November gets going.**

**Thanks again to Nee :)**


	7. The Bucket List

Chapter Six: The Bucket List

The yellow glow of sunrise filtered through the crack between the curtains, illuminating the patches of damp on the wall opposite the bed. The sheets were thin and scratchy and the window didn't shut properly, letting in a persistent draught. I sat up quickly when I felt a tickle at the back of my throat, and let out three successive sneezes. This room was not doing anything for my cold.

I wrapped my arms around myself and crawled out of bed, shuffling over to my suitcase and extracting the green Sac State hoodie from one corner. As I moved I felt the ache start to pound in my head. I hadn't drunk that much last night in the end, but it had still been enough to make my memories a little hazy. The argument with Mia shone out clearly. Then my talk with Brittany. After that there were drinks and dancing and trying to pretend that nothing was wrong. I remembered dancing with Brittany a lot. She'd been trying to get me talking with Mia again, until I'd finally convinced her to drop it.

Now a little warmer wearing the sweater, I looked over at Mia rather than hop straight back into bed. It wasn't like those sheets were doing anything to keep me warm. She was turned away from me, but I could see her shoulder rising and falling gently, letting me know she was still asleep. My anger at her going on at Puck again had faded a little, but a bubble of irritation still wormed its way up. I did kind of regret saying what I had, though - not only because Brittany had overheard, but also because I _really_ didn't need to start arguing with Mia again when we were about to spend six weeks in each others' company 24/7. We hadn't been around one another so much since that time we'd been living in the same house. I'd thought this would be different. I'd avoided talking to her about it, because talking about the events of last summer never ended well. But maybe that had been a bad move. Perhaps I should try and bring about that conversation. Once she stopped being mad at me, anyway. And it was probably best to wait until after her birthday.

There was no point in waking her now anyway. I wasn't sure how I was awake so early; nor why I wasn't tired. Just sniffly and with an aching head. Even Brittany was still asleep - except as my attention turned to her, her eyes flickered open.

"G'morning," she croaked after a few moments, rubbing a hand over her face then using it to prop up her head, her elbow digging into the pillow. She smiled sleepily up at me, her eyelids drooping every so often.

"Morning," I replied softly. I leaned back against the wall, watching in silence as she struggled to stay awake. After a few seconds she released a sigh of frustration and sat up straight. She reached behind her for the pillow and brought it up to rest on her legs, wrapping her arms around her shins and leaning on it, her head tilted slightly so she could still see me.

"Why're you awake so early?" she mumbled.

I grinned down at her. "I can't believe _you're_ asking _me_ that."

She muttered something incomprehensible into her pillow, and I bit my lip to stop myself laughing in case I woke the others.

"You should go back to sleep," I advised.

"Nu-uh," she replied, shaking her head and dropping the pillow back behind her before rolling off the air mattress and stumbling to her feet.

"Britt, what are you doing?"

"Walk. Uh - if you want to come again?"

I grinned wider as I remembered our breakfast in LA and nodded eagerly, dropping to my knees once more to locate the rest of my clothes.

* * *

"D'you mind if we stop off at Puck's hotel? I need to drop off his phone," I said as we walked back in the direction of the Strip. Really, he could have got his phone later. But I wanted to talk to him before this thing with Mia escalated any more than it already had, so I'd grabbed the iPhone from where Quinn had left it last night on the bathroom counter.

"Ah yeah, sure! He still owes me for that bet anyway."

I laughed at the reminder, suddenly glad Brittany didn't conduct her bets in money. "Decided yet what you're going to make him give you?"

She shrugged, shooting me a sly smile. "I've got an idea."

"What?"

She shook her head, her smile widening. "Wait and see. I haven't decided for sure yet anyway. So I'm not telling."

And she wouldn't, no matter how much I came up with ideas and questioned her on whether I was close. The entire journey to Puck's hotel was taken up by my questions and her giggles and refusals to answer.

"Come _on_, Britt! I won't tell him!" I repeated yet again, swivelling to walk backwards across the parking lot and fix her with a pleading stare.

She laughed and shook her head, reaching out to pull on my arm so I was facing the right way again. "No! And stop looking at me like that, Santana! It's really hard to keep saying no when you're being all sad panda!" I snorted at her words, and she giggled again. "Wait and see. Please?"

I sighed as I nodded. "_Fine_. But remember you still owe me for giving me this cold with your crazy dancing in the rain."

She deflated for a second. "Sorry… Oh! But we still need to do your bucket list, I just remembered!"

"Wait, that wasn't a joke?" I questioned.

"Of course not! We'll make you one just for this trip, and I'll make sure you get to do everything on it. Okay?"

"Okay," I agreed with a shrug, pushing open the door of the hotel. I held it open for her, then walked over to the reception desk. "Can I get the room number of Noah Puckerman?"

The man behind the desk turned to his computer, typed in something, then turned back to me.

"How do you spell that?"

"P-U-C-K-E-R-M-A-N."

He stared at the screen for another couple of seconds, then shook his head. "Sorry. No one by that name on our system."

I frowned, leaning over the counter to check his spelling. It wasn't exactly a difficult name. He glared at me, but leaned back, allowing me to see. A very clear 'no results' was displayed at the top of the page.

"Uh… well have you seen a guy, pretty muscley, shaved head. He arrived yesterday morning?"

The man shook his head as he turned his attention back to the paperwork in front of him, apparently done with the conversation. I turned back to Brittany, confused.

"This is the right place, isn't it? I thought he was parked here."

"Maybe it was the hotel next door?" she suggested as we walked back out of the building. I turned my head to look across at the hotel she was pointing at, but as I did I noticed Puck's car sitting at the edge of the parking lot.

"No, that's his car there," I said, gesturing at it. "Maybe… I don't know. I guess he'll have to come back to it. We can just wait there."

Brittany nodded straight away, heading towards the car. I took two quick steps to catch up with her so we were walking side by side.

"Sorry, I thought this would be quick. And it's probably gonna be ages till he turns up. Maybe I'll just come back later."

"No, it's fine. We'll wait for a little while. And if he doesn't turn up then we can come back," Brittany suggested with a shrug, leaning against the side of the vehicle. I was about to do the same when I noticed movement from within the car, and paused. I stepped closer, peering in through the window - and found Puck sprawled out on the back seat. Or at least, as sprawled out as he could get when his car was so tiny. I lifted a hand and rapped hard against the glass. His head jerked, knocking sharply against the opposite door.

"Puck, what the fuck are you doing?" I demanded, pulling on the door handle but finding it locked. I knocked on the window again and motioned for him to open the door. He stared blearily up at me for several long moments before he finally shifted. One hand scrabbled underneath his seat and a second later produced his keys. I heard the unmistakable click of the doors unlocking and immediately pulled it open, exchanging a look with Brittany. She looked just as confused as I felt.

"Santana, what're you doing here?" Puck muttered. He was scowling in my direction, but wouldn't meet my eyes.

"That's a better question for _you_. Why the hell are you sleeping in your car? Did you lose your keys or something?"

Now he was definitely avoiding my gaze. "Uh… no… not exactly."

I rolled my eyes, reaching into my back pocket for his phone and tossing it to him. He fumbled the catch and it bounced down onto the worn leather of the seat. He swore under his breath as he picked it up.

"You left that at the bar last night. Now _why_ are you sleeping in your car?" I repeated.

"I… it's no big deal, Santana." He sent a nervous glance behind me and I looked to see Brittany standing a few feet away. I shook my head dismissively and rounded back on him

"_What's_ not?"

The longer the silence went on, the more agitated I felt. Something was up. Something worse than just losing Mia's money. I'd been noticing odd things all weekend and brushing them aside; the talks with Quinn, the insistence on staying in a different hotel, even the fact that Puck was apparently on a diet for the first time in his life. But _still_ he wasn't saying anything!

"Puck!"

He let out an exaggerated sigh, shaking his head. "Jesus, I just didn't have the money for a hotel room, alright?"

I blinked, temporarily surprised into silence. I wasn't sure what I'd been expecting him to say. But it wasn't that. After a few seconds I found my voice again.

"After losing that poker game?"

"…Sort of."

I stared at him, the various things I'd been noticing over the past few days starting to slide into place. I didn't like where this was going at all.

"…What do you mean, 'sort of'? Did you sleep in your car last night too?"

He nodded briefly, now glaring determinedly at the headrest of the seat in front of him.

"Puck! You said you could afford to come, that you'd sort out your own hotel - your car is not a hotel!"

"Well I would have been able to afford it. If I'd won that poker game," he muttered under his breath.

I raised my eyes to the sky, running fingers through my hair as I tried to process what I was being told. So Puck had no money. My immediate thought was that Mia would be furious at the prospect of not getting her own money back, but I pushed that aside for now. I'd talk to her later, explain things. A heavy weight settled in my stomach at the thought of that conversation, but I tried to concentrate on Puck.

"Do you have money for the gas to get back to LA?"

"Yeah. I filled up when we got here."

"Okay," I replied, nodding once. My brain worked rapidly, trying to work out the next best question to ask. "So… just… how much money do you have? Why didn't you stay in LA, you could've got some pool cleaning done and got money from that."

Puck sighed heavily, leaning forward and resting his forehead on the seat in front. His eyes were closed as he spoke in a quiet, defeated tone. I couldn't recall ever seeing him look like that before.

"You remember I mentioned that woman, Olivia Sheldon?"

"Yes." She was one of the few women Puck had mentioned that I remembered specifically - mostly because the others he referred to as 'bleach blonde nurse' or 'hot-teacher-barbie'. Olivia had actually been graced with her real name.

"She was… ugh…"

I raised an eyebrow in surprise. I couldn't remember the last time a girl had made Puck speechless. He happened to glance over at that moment and rolled his eyes at me, slumping back in the seat again.

"She was nice, okay? She didn't treat me like an idiot. I could talk with her. Not just smooth talk, proper talk. And she was fucking hot as hell."

He paused, eyes on me like he was waiting for a reaction. I stayed quiet. Now was not the time for a snarky comment. Even though I had plenty dancing on the tip of my tongue.

"So, her husband comes back from work early one day last month. Realises what's up, chucks me out - sets his dog after me too, crazy bastard. And he's some high up politician or council member or whatever. So then he goes and starts telling people I seduced his wife - _and _that I did a shit job cleaning the pool, which is not true. That pool was sparkling, I visited Liv so much, and I made sure to clean it every time. But then… word got round. Went to the Robins', they turned me away, said they'd found someone else. Same happened the next day. I've lost half my pools. Try and find new ones, but no one wants me! I've barely got the money for rent this month, and I thought coming here would help 'cause I'd be able to get a bit of extra cash, but…" He shrugged helplessly, eyes closing again and his head leaning back.

I remained silent at first, processing everything I had just been told. It was worse than I'd suspected. From all Puck had said, it sounded like his pool-cleaning business was about to disappear.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you'd think I was a failure!" Puck burst out. "Everyone will! They all said - that's a stupid business plan, it'll never work out. Or if they didn't say it they were thinking it. I was barely keeping afloat before this shit, but now… I can't go back to Lima. I can't, it'll just prove them all right."

"But then what are you going to do?" I asked quietly.

"I… I don't know. Get a 'real' job, I suppose. If anyone'll employ me, if fucking Mark Sheldon hasn't got to them too."

I frowned, resting an arm on the top of the open car door as my mind worked, trying to find a solution to this mess. But it wasn't that easy. None of this was easy. I just wished he'd told me sooner.

"Do you need to borrow money?"

He shook his head straight away. "I don't want to borrow any more money from anyone. I'll sort this out myself."

"Well how much do you owe Mia?"

"Like thirty bucks. I don't have it to pay her back, though."

"I'll give you that, okay?" He opened his mouth to object and I cut him off. "Look, you owe that money anyway. Better you owe me than owe her. Just pay me back when you can, when I'm back in California. I don't care if it takes you a while - you'd be doing me a favour. But don't tell her you got the money from me. Say you found it in your car or something," I told him. I wasn't sure if it would help fix things with Mia, but hopefully it would do something.

"Whatever I say she's gonna go off on one," Puck muttered. "She overreacts to everything. She's fucking crazy."

I opened my mouth quickly to form an angry retort but before I could say anything I felt something brush my shoulder, and turned my head to find Brittany standing just behind me, looking into the car.

"Puck?" He switched his attention to her. "You still owe me."

His face immediately transformed into a fierce scowl and he sat up straighter. "Fuck's sake, are you deaf? I have no money!"

"Don't speak to her like that," I snapped, but Brittany was stepping forward and shaking her head.

"No no, I don't mean money! I don't like betting money."

Puck folded his arms across his chest as he glared at her, his expression suspicious. "Well what do you want from me then?"

"Say sorry."

His eyebrows rose, and he was silent for a few seconds before speaking. "…What?"

"To Mia. Say sorry to her. That's what I want you to do for losing the bet."

"…Are _you_ crazy too?"

"Hey!" I objected loudly, but again Brittany piped up before I could say any more.

"It won't cost you anything. And maybe it'll make her see you're not a bad person, and help her and Santana make up."

Out of the corner of my eye I could see him glance at me, but I was more focused on Brittany. What was she doing? And why?

"It won't take long," she continued. "And it's way easier than anything else I could get you to do. Yesterday I was planning to send you to the circus hotel to learn how to juggle, so you could teach me."

He stared at her for a few more seconds before slowly nodding. "Fine. I'll say sorry. Just don't expect her to accept it."

* * *

"…Sorry?" Mia repeated, her expression incredulous. Her eyes shifted to me like she was trying to ask if he was serious without speaking aloud.

"That's what I said," Puck muttered.

I was tense as I watched them from further down the table. I was convinced that at any moment all hell was going to break loose. Doing this in the middle of a hotel had been a terrible idea. Even if the hotel did serve the most spectacular buffet breakfast I had ever seen, and Brittany had managed to persuade one of the staff to teach her to juggle later in the day.

"…You've never apologised for anything before."

He shrugged, his eyes twitching like he was about to roll his eyes, but then he stopped himself. "So?"

She glanced down at the money in front of her on the table, then back up at him. "This isn't a joke?"

"…No."

"Oh. Uh… okay," she said quietly, settling back in her seat and picking up a segment of orange, biting into it. Puck looked as though he was about to say something else and ruin his short but apparently effective apology. Fortunately Brittany elbowed him and he shut his mouth before Mia noticed. I released a breath I hadn't realised I'd been holding. I still needed to talk with her. But hopefully this would keep things calm until then.

Something nudged my arm and I turned to find Tina looking at me. I couldn't read her expression. Of all the people on this trip, I knew her the least - although I wasn't sure how that had happened when I'd only met Brittany last week.

"What did you say to him?" she murmured.

I frowned. "I didn't, really."

"So you're saying he came up with that all on his own?" she replied, raising one, disbelieving eyebrow.

"Well… not exactly." I struggled to find a way to explain without making Puck out in a bad light again. Considering most of Tina's knowledge about Puck would have come from Mia, I had a feeling she might misinterpret anything I said about him like Mia did. But then, she hadn't objected when I'd asked if it was okay for him to join us for Vegas. And she didn't really seem like the type to judge people. "It was Brittany. She spoke to him."

Tina's confusion disappeared almost instantly and she nodded with a warm smile. "Okay."

My eyebrows rose at her sudden change of expression. "That's it?"

"That's it," she replied, still speaking quietly so no one else would hear. "It makes sense. Brittany's good at that sort of thing."

I propped my elbow on the table so I could turn to look at her properly. I was the curious one now. "What sort of thing?"

Tina shrugged. "People."

I waited for her to elaborate, but she just returned to her plate of blueberry pancakes. I wasn't sure if she didn't want to talk about it or if it was just Tina being her normal quiet self. I'd ask her about it again another time. Maybe she'd be more talkative when Brittany wasn't just a couple seats down.

We spent at least an hour in that restaurant. It was too fancy to call a diner, even though we were just eating breakfast. I had surreptitiously paid for Puck's food as well - so he would at least have one good meal before heading back to LA later today. I still didn't know what to do about him. He wouldn't take any more of my money than he already had - and that was only with him insisting he'd pay me back as soon as he could. I was still preoccupied with trying to work out what I could do to help when I realised the others were getting up from the table. I followed them silently out of the room, not noticing Mia fall back until she was walking right next to me.

"Thank you," she whispered, her fingers tangling with mine between our bodies. I frowned at her uncertainly. She was acting like we hadn't been yelling at each other just yesterday night.

"For what?" I replied shortly. I didn't pull my hand away, though.

"For talking to him. I know he wouldn't have said that if you hadn't spoken to him."

My eyes widened and I opened my mouth to protest that it hadn't been me - but then I caught Brittany's eyes. She was looking back at us, smiling softly, and gave the tiniest shake of her head. That one look chased away the words that had been on my tongue just a second before.

"Don't be mad," Mia murmured, dropping a kiss on my cheek. "I'm sorry."

"I'm not mad," I sighed, turning my head away from Brittany to smile briefly at Mia. She brightened visibly and I felt a weight lift off my shoulders - but it didn't erase the churning in my stomach that continued all the way through the hotel and back out into the sunlight.

* * *

The rest of the day passed in as much of a blur as the previous day had. I was starting to worry a little how fast this trip was going to pass, if the pace of the last few days was any indication. Turning my head, I stared out of the window at the fading skyline of Las Vegas. On the other side of the city Puck was in his car heading back towards LA, and I couldn't help but worry. I'd never really had cause to worry about him like this before. He made out like he was in control of every situation, and while I'd always thought it was a bit of an act I hadn't realised quite how much. I wished I could talk about it with someone to work out what was the best thing to do, but Puck's words just before we'd said goodbye kept coming back to me.

_"Don't tell Quinn."_

_"What? Why? Isn't that what you guys were talking about the other day?"_

_"Please."_

I released a heavier sigh than I intended, and felt Brittany nudge me lightly. One eyebrow lifted, asking silently if I was okay. I gave her a tight-lipped smile, returning my attention to the scenery outside the car. She knew what was going on, and I was pretty sure she wouldn't tell any of the others. But I was still uncertain about discussing it with her. It wasn't that I didn't trust her - well, it partly was. As much as I liked her, I couldn't entirely forget that I'd only known her a week. I wanted to trust her. I really did. But I wasn't quite there yet. The only other two people in the car were out of the question. I didn't know Tina well enough. And Mia... well, that was just asking for trouble. And then what if she worked out I'd lied earlier about talking to Puck? Even though I hadn't properly lied. I just... hadn't corrected her. I wasn't sure she'd see it the same way though, and I didn't want to cause another argument after just getting the last one sorted. With her birthday tomorrow, hopefully she'd be distracted enough that the whole thing would just fade from her mind and it wouldn't come up again.

I heard shuffling next to me and turned my head to observe Brittany rummaging in the bag by her feet. She straightened a few moments later with a worn notebook and pen, and turned to me with a tentative smile.

"How about that bucket list?"

I laughed aloud at the reminder. I didn't know why she was so insistent on getting me a bucket list - but it would be a welcome distraction, and there were still several hours before we reached Flagstaff.

"What the hell, why not?" I agreed, resting my elbow on the door and shifting so I could see her better. On her other side Mia was dozing, and in the front seat Tina and Quinn were having yet another of their boring book talks. "So how do we do this exactly? I just say crazy stuff I think should happen?"

Brittany bit her lip as she carefully wrote at the top of the page. I could see she was doing her best not to let the pen jerk around with the movements of the car.

"It doesn't have to be a masterpiece, Britt," I teased.

"But it should look nice! It's your record - you're going to find it sometime when everyone's back home and remember all the great times we had together. It'll make you remember things that you'd never remember otherwise. So it should be nice."

I paused, then nodded. It was strange how she could be so fun and goofy one moment, but completely earnest the next.

"See - look. You'll already remember how we were going to go out in LA but couldn't because the weather was so terrible," she said, passing the notebook over so I could see what she'd written.

_*~ Santana's Mega Road Trip Bucket List ~*_

_1. Dance in the rain_

As I read it she ducked down again, retrieving another pen and leaning over to place a large, green tick next to it then dropping that pen back into her bag.

"So what else do you want to do while we're travelling?" she asked, pulling the notebook out of my hands and back into her lap, fixing me with a steady gaze.

My mind whirred, but with her staring at me like that I couldn't think of anything. I turned to examine the headrest in front of me instead. I tried to run through all the places we were going and think of things that could be done there. Panama City came to mind - and in particular, the sea.

"I kind of always wanted to learn how to surf," I admitted.

Brittany's face lit up and she nodded excitedly as she wrote it down. "That's great! Hey, you know what else looks really fun? Scuba diving. My friend did it and she met so many Nemos - I want to meet a Nemo! And a dolphin. Although I guess a shark would be just as good, they're basically the same except for the whole gay thing. But I think they're quite hard to find. And- oh. Sorry." She deflated as she looked over at me. "This is meant to be your list."

I reached for the pen and plucked it out of her hand, holding the notebook steady on her leg as I added the third item to the list. "No way I'm missing out on it after that description," I told her with a light elbow to her side. She giggled, pulling then pen back from me.

"Okay, okay. Good," she said happily, writing a number 4 on the list then leaving her pen hovering over the page. "Anything else to do with the sea? We should really put all the sea ones together. It makes sense."

I reached down for my bottle of water and took a drink as I thought it over. I was just leaning down to put the bottle back in the seat pocket when I paused, taking another look at it.

"Send a message in a bottle."

I turned to her with a smirk, expecting to find her giggling and tell me not to be silly - but instead, her eyes were wide.

"That's brilliant! That's genius! That should be on _my_ bucket list!"

I bit my tongue to stop myself telling her it had just been a joke as she quickly wrote it down. What the hell. I doubted anything on this list was going to get done anyway.

"Okay, we're on four. What else?"

I hummed under my breath as my mind wandered, glancing out of the window again for inspiration. Just as I did, a loud roar signalled the passing of two motorbikes. I recalled the time Puck had bought one on a whim and promised to show me how to drive it - but then he'd sold it again before I'd had the chance to go down to LA. I'd been mad at him at the time, but now I realised the probable reasons behind him selling it so quickly.

"Ride a motorbike," I said firmly.

"Ooh, that's a great one! You're so good at this, Santana," she enthused. "Hey - didn't Tina say you were in a choir or something in high school? You should totally do karaoke!"

"What? No. No way." I shook my head adamantly. The only person who got to hear me sing nowadays was Mia - and that was only when I forgot the walls of her bathroom were so thin that she could hear me in the shower. "That is way behind me."

"But I want to hear you sing! You must be really good!"

"Pretending glee club never happened doesn't make it go away, Santana," Quinn said from the front seat, turning to smirk at me.

"Fuck off Fabray." Was it her life's mission to wind me up?

But then I turned back to Brittany and found her looking at me with a pleading, hopeful expression.

"Ugh, fine. Add it to your stupid list. And I'll just pray on a fucking shooting star that no one else is about to witness it."

"Ooh, yeah!"

I glanced over and laughed as she quickly added 'see a meteor shower' as number seven.

"Not quite what I was getting at there, Britt," I told her.

"Oh. Oh well," she replied with a shrug, settling back in her seat to read through the list so far.

"How big is this list gonna be anyway?"

"We should get it up to ten, I think. Ten's a good number," she decided, adding the three extra numbers to the bottom of the page.

"Okay. Well, as long as we're on this trip. I want to make the most of it. So at some point. In one city where there's way too much to see in one go. You and me are going to stay up for forty-eight hours straight, and see everything we possibly can. And then we'll get the rest of these losers to drive while we sleep it off."

Quinn twisted in her seat again to object and I threw the pen lid at her, hitting her square on the forehead.

"Oi! What was that for?"

"I just got this sudden, strange feeling you were going to say something to mess up my bucket list plans. And we wouldn't want that, would we Britt?"

"Definitely not," Brittany replied seriously. "Bucket list plans are important."

"Exactly. So go back to discussing your fancy pants literature and stop butting in on our conversation just because yours would bore the Pope to sleep."

"Just because you don't appreciate good literature doesn't mean the rest of us can't find it interesting."

I rolled my eyes at her as she turned back to Tina, reaching to take the pen from Brittany and adding number nine without saying it out loud. _Get a tattoo_. There was no way I could say that and not have Quinn comment on it.

Brittany nodded appreciatively as she considered the empty space next to number ten. I frowned at it as well, trying to come up with something else. Everything that came to mind seemed stupid, or completely implausible.

"Can't we just leave it at nine?" I asked with a sigh. "It's good right now. We don't want to ruin it with a shitty number ten."

"No, we'll come up with something good!" Brittany insisted. "Just think. Isn't there anything else you really want to do? I dunno, something from when you were a kid?"

I shrugged, trying to think back to what I used to ask my parents for. There hadn't really been anything I wanted to do, I'd just got games and toys. And had no one to play them with, or help when I got stuck. Which happened a lot. My mom had first accused me of picking up a Lima Heights attitude the time I'd thrown a rubik's cube at my dad because I couldn't do it.

"Stupid rubik's cube," I muttered, recalling my frustration.

Brittany tilted her head, her eyes narrowing. I could almost see her mind whirring, trying to work out what I meant. I felt my cheeks heating up. I hadn't meant to say that out loud.

"I want to solve a rubik's cube. I had one. But it got thrown away before I could work it out, and I never got another," I explained as briefly as I could.

I waited for her to laugh. But again, she didn't. She smiled gently at me before returning her attention to the list. She added the last line, then ripped the piece of paper out of the notebook and added a large, looping signature to the bottom.

"Here. Now you sign it," she instructed.

"Sign it?" I repeated, tentatively taking the list and the pen from her when she passed them over.

"Yes. So I'm promising to try and make that stuff happen for you. And you're promising to try as well. And together we'll make it all happen. Okay?"

I nodded once, scanning my eyes down the sheet of paper.

_*~ Santana's Mega Road Trip Bucket List ~*_

_1. Dance in the rain_

_2. Learn to surf_

_3. Scuba diving_

_4. Send a message in a bottle_

_5. Ride a motorbike_

_6. Karaoke_

_7. See a meteor shower_

_8. Stay awake for 48 hours_

_9. Get a tattoo_

_10. Solve a rubik's cube_

It _was_ a good bucket list. At least, I thought so, even though I'd never made one before. And karaoke aside, there wasn't really anything on there I didn't actually want to do, despite the miscommunication on the meteor shower and message in a bottle.

I moved the pen to the bottom of the page and signed my name.

* * *

**Sorry this took a little while. It's been a stressful couple of weeks, I'm actually starting a different job next week, and I've had some other stuff going on too that's made it difficult to focus. But on the plus side, that craziness meant I never really got started on nanowrimo, so I've been concentrating on getting ahead on this instead.**


	8. Wish Upon a Star

Chapter Seven: Wish Upon a Star

I swore at the same moment as I sneezed, and half-choked as a result.

"Are you sure you're okay to go on a long walk?"

I waved a hand dismissively at Brittany as I climbed out of the car, suppressing a shiver. It had been two days now. Wasn't it about time I was over this cold already?

"I owe you," she muttered with a grimace, following me out into the parking lot.

"Too right you do," I shot back with a grin, poking her in the ribs and prompting a giggle from her. I glanced back into the car and found Mia hadn't moved - her head was resting lightly on the opposite window, and the blanket I'd thrown over her earlier when we'd left our hotel in Flagstaff had fallen down to bunch around her waist. I circled the car and opened the door as carefully as I could so as not to jar her awake, but her head jerked up anyway and she mumbled something incomprehensible.

"Sorry, sorry," I murmured, leaning in to press a soft kiss to her cheek. "Happy birthday."

She smiled lazily, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she swung her legs around to slide slowly out of the car, yawning. I stepped back to give her more space, watching her face light up as she glanced around and fully processed where we were. I had hoped we'd end up at the Grand Canyon for her birthday. She'd always wanted to come, but never got the chance until now. And I just had to hope she wouldn't mind me taking charge for the day. I'd done some research, on the off chance we would be here for her birthday, and now it would pay off.

"We should head this way," I called to the others, pointing over my shoulder with one thumb.

Mia frowned, glancing uncertainly between where I was pointing and the direction where the rest of the tourists were heading. "Uh… are you sure?"

"Yeah, come on. We don't want to go where the rest of the tourists are going, it'll be way too crowded," I argued, hoping she wouldn't see the flaw in my logic.

"Surely there's a reason the rest of the tourists are going that way?"

_Well shit._ I struggled to find another reason that wouldn't give anything away, but nothing came to mind. I really should have planned this out better, but I'd been a bit distracted the last couple of days.

"The way the sun is, we'll have more shade that way," Brittany piped up from next to me. I glanced at her in surprise, then quickly nodded in agreement.

"Exactly," I said, turning back to Mia. "And I looked up a good route that's this way. You're not the only one that can do research," I told her with a raised eyebrow.

She smirked at that, and finally nodded. "Fine, fine. But I'm gonna be upset if you get us lost in the Grand Canyon on my birthday."

"I'll do my very best," I replied with a matching smirk. I turned and pulled on Brittany's elbow to get her to turn as well.

"So why are we actually running away from the tourists?" she whispered as we started towards the line of trees that were just up the hill from the parking lot.

"Birthday surprise for Mia," I whispered back, glancing behind us to see her deep in conversation with Tina, and Quinn hurrying to catch us up. I slowed my pace for a few moments until she was beside me. We walked in silence up the hill on the path that led through the trees. Brittany started fiddling with her bag and produced her camcorder a few seconds later, shortly after copied by Quinn with a giant camera of her own.

"Big enough, Fabray?" I commented with a smirk. "You know it's not the size, it's how you use-"

"Please, spare me," she muttered. I thought she was going to continue, but then her attention was redirected towards the metal railing at the top of the hill and I remembered where exactly we were.

I dropped my eyes to the ground the closer we got. I remembered Mia mentioning that she'd read in one of her guidebooks that it was best not to look until you could see everything. Glancing to my left I found Quinn doing exactly the same - but to my right, Brittany's eyes were wide and her expression bright as we approached the edge of the canyon. I tried to force my eyes back to the ground, but instead they were pulled to where Brittany was looking, and I found myself staring over the largest, most colourful expanse of rock I had ever seen. I felt bad just thinking of it as 'rock', even though that's what it was. Rock just didn't do it justice at all.

It went on, and on, with plumes of vegetation here and there but mostly just different grains of red and orange that ran in uneven stripes along the canyon walls. I hit the railing lightly and came to a sudden halt, my eyes turning down to take in the sheer drop. Jagged edges and small green trees lined the cliff face, blocking out my view of exactly where it met the ground below. Somewhere down there was the Colorado River, but it seemed impossible that one river had been the cause of all of this. I lifted my head again to look out across the miles of canyon, noting how in the distance it appeared slightly hazy from how far away it was. The colours still shone through, though.. Getting here for just after sunrise had definitely been worth the early start.

Finally I pulled my gaze away, to see Tina and Mia were now with us looking just as awestruck. I quickly retrieved my phone from my pocket and turned on the camera to take a photo of the pair of them standing next to Quinn, who had her head stuck behind her camera. I twisted to try and get a similar picture of Brittany, but ended up stumbling back into Quinn when I found her camcorder pointing straight at me.

"Hey watch it, this was expensive!" Quinn snapped, holding the camera protectively against her chest and glaring at me.

I was more focused on the fact that I was being recorded, until I realised the camcorder wasn't actually directed at me - she had just been capturing on film exactly what I'd taken a photo of only moments ago. I took a quick, deep breath, trying to halt the adrenalin rushing through me. Brittany's eyes narrowed in confusion, her expression a little curious, and I shook my head. She flashed me a brief grin before turning to take in the rest of the canyon, and I felt a wave of relief wash over me that she hadn't commented on my over-reaction.

_Get your head in gear, Lopez! Stop being such a pussy, it's just Brittany!_

_"Just Brittany"? You've only known the girl a week!_

Shaking my head again to try and clear it, I slipped my phone back into my pocket. I took a step back from the railing, delving into my bag for the map I had stashed away in my suitcase before the start of the trip. Glancing from side to side, I quickly worked out where we were and located the path we would need to head down a little way to my right. Hiding the map once more I called over to the others.

"Come on, plenty of time for photos later! We've gotta get moving!"

"Just because you hate cameras," Quinn called back, but she started putting it away anyway and the others followed suit - except Brittany, who just lowered her camcorder for now. I guessed she'd carry on recording in a bit. A few minutes later we had started down the path I had found, that was thankfully free of the hordes of tourists but still had spectacular views. I doubted that any path lacked the views, really. Quinn and Brittany fell into step on either side of me, and a few feet behind us were Mia and Tina again. I could hear them talking about some old schoolfriends from California.

"So Brittany, where exactly have your parents gone?" Quinn asked, peering over at her.

Brittany took a few seconds to finish panning around with her camcorder before hitting the stop button and dropping it to her side, turning with a smile to Quinn.

"They're on a cruise. I was… uh… meant to be in New York for the summer. But things got changed at the last minute and I came home instead," she explained. The smile remained on her lips, but her shoulders dropped a little and she looked more subdued than usual.

"Oh I love New York. What were you going to be doing there?"

I glared at Quinn. Couldn't she tell from Brittany's expression that she didn't want to talk about it? Noticing Quinn looked genuinely curious, I realised she couldn't tell that. Strange, Quinn was normally good at reading people. Better than me, anyway.

"My bo- uh, ex-boyfriend lives there. I was meant to be staying with him," Brittany replied with a little shrug of her shoulders. She returned her attention to her camcorder as she spoke, fiddling with some of the settings and not looking at either of us.

"Oh. Sorry," Quinn apologised quickly. At least she got what was wrong this time. "Uh… you go to college with Tina, right?"

"Yep. UGA."

"What did you study?"

"Journalism. But I minored in dance as well."

"That's an interesting combination," Quinn mused, looking a little confused.

"Well I was planning to do just dance. But then I took a couple of classes my first semester about media, and digital reporting, and I loved it. It's really fun."

"So what are you planning to do now?"

Brittany opened her mouth to speak but hesitated at the last moment, and before she could say anything Tina's voice floated forward.

"Brittany, isn't your dance friend in Panama City this summer?"

She dropped back with a brief wave of farewell to us to join the conversation with Mia and Tina. I fixed my gaze firmly on Quinn.

"Inquisition much?" I demanded.

She only looked marginally offended, so she'd known this was coming when she started with the questions.

"I just wanted to find out a bit more about her. See what she's like."

"You could've done that without interrogating her."

She shrugged, pulling out her bottle to have a slurp of water. It was getting hot already. Hopefully we would be at our destination before midday and the arrival of the worst of the day's heat.

"Well what do you know about her? You've been spending so much time with her, you must talk about something. You don't normally warm up to anyone this quickly."

Mentally skimming over my conversations with Brittany, I tried to find some sort of theme, but my mind came up blank. We'd talked about so much. It wasn't what we were talking about that was important. I just liked talking to her. I grabbed the bottle from her hand and took a drink as well to buy myself a few more moments to think before answering.

"I don't know. Lots of things." Quinn raised an eyebrow and I scowled at her. "Jesus, what does it matter to you?"

"It's just not like you. Don't tell me you weren't planning to hate her for crashing our trip."

"Yeah, well, it's kind of hard to hate someone who's got a permanent smile," I muttered under my breath, but it prompted Quinn to laugh anyway. She nudged me, and looking over at her I found her smiling.

"Don't worry about it. It's good. You need other friends in California apart from Mia."

"I have other friends!" I objected immediately. Maybe I wasn't particularly close to any of them, but I had friends!

She laughed again. "I know, I know. But with Mia leaving soon, and me not about, it's good there's someone else you can talk to so easily. I'm glad."

"Better make sure you get a fancy writing job in California then, huh? Or whatever it is you're planning to do with that book degree," I retorted, trying not to let it show that I was actually kind of touched by her words. She rolled her eyes at my response - but she could tell, anyway. She'd always been able to see through my bitchiness. It was probably why we were such good friends, whereas most people got insulted and left.

We continued down the canyon at a steady pace, stopping every now and then - because of course all the others wanted to take their cameras out every five minutes. Okay, so I took some photos on my phone too. It's a pretty cool place. But nothing like the amount they took. Nevertheless I managed to hurry everyone on so we made good progress descending into the canyon, and soon we were approaching the shaded area that the website I'd read had recommended for lunch. The closer we got, the more nervous I got about my plan. With the others busy discussing Vegas I reached out to touch Brittany's arm, gently tugging to pull her away so we were walking several feet behind the others.

"So you know you owe me?" I prompted, glad that her camcorder was currently turned off and dangling from a cord around her neck. She nodded. "Well, I'd like you to help me find something. Don't really want to go hunting on my own."

"Sure, what needs finding?" she replied cheerfully.

I lowered my voice further, checking first to make sure Mia wasn't paying any attention to us. "It's this place nearby, I want to take Mia there. But I don't want to get us lost while I'm trying to show her, so I want to find it first."

Her smile faltered momentarily but then it was back in full force and I wondered if I'd imagined it. "I can do that. How close is it?"

"It's near where we're stopping for lunch. Which - ah, I think that's it," I said as we rounded the corner and a small copse of trees came into view. The foliage was sparse, but they did provide some degree of shade from the sun that was now high in the sky and beating down on us. "That's it!" I repeated, calling ahead for the others' benefit. Quinn turned to give me a thumbs up. She'd agreed earlier to keep Mia occupied while I hunted out this place.

I turned my eyes to our right, and sure enough a smaller, stony path was placed just before the clearing of trees. It was quite steep, and I was glad Mia had insisted that I pack some decent shoes to walk in. I gestured at Brittany to follow me down the slope. She of course had no trouble, but I had barely taken a few steps before my foot slid over a stone and I almost went straight down. She caught me from behind before I had the chance, giggling as per usual.

"Stop laughing at me," I grumbled, only making her laugh more. The path levelled out a little soon enough, allowing me to turn to her and ask the question that had been at the back of my mind ever since her talk with Quinn this morning.

"So are you actually planning to stay in California? Or are you just there until you find a job back in Georgia?"

I anxiously waited for her answer as she paused to tie up her shoelace. She squinted up at me as she did so, and I took a step to one side to try and block out the sun for her.

"I'll probably stay. I missed my family so much the past year and a half. And my friends from UGA are moving as well so I'd miss them anyway - if not this year, then next year. And anyway. I can make new friends," she added, popping up again with a wide smile. I felt a warm bubble grow inside of me, and smiled back. I didn't really know what to say to that. I was sure she was directing that straight at me. Right? I wasn't just imagining it?

I turned quickly to continue down the path, annoyed at myself for being unable to form a reply. I rewound the conversation a little and tried again. "So what is it you want to do? Journalism or dance?"

She was silent for a few moments, and I remembered her hesitation earlier. Maybe that had been a bad question to ask.

"I… I don't think I'll get to do what I really want to do. It's just a dream," she said quietly, staring down at the ground as we walked together down the path.

"Tell me," I replied, my eyes never leaving her and causing me to stumble again over an uneven patch of ground.

"I want… I want to do both," she sighed after another pause.

"Both? So like… be a presenter for So You Think You Can Dance?"

She laughed and shook her head. "No, no. I mean…" She sighed again. "It's silly."

"No, come on," I encouraged. I didn't like seeing her so reluctant to talk about her dreams; like she stood no chance. Yeah, dreams were sometimes harshly put in perspective. Mine was. But I was over that, mostly. And it had been unrealistic to start with.

"I'd love to make another webshow. But one all about dancing. Like, teaching it. And interviewing dancers, reviewing college dance programmes. So kids who want to be dancers have all this useful stuff to help them. Because I got really confused trying to work everything out."

She stopped, looking over at me for the first time and biting her lower lip as she waited for me to respond.

"That sounds really cool…" I said slowly, turning the idea over in my head. "Genius, actually," I added with a wink. She quickly looked away, but the worry on her face had shifted back into a smile. "So what's stopping you?"

"I don't know. I guess… I'm just worried. What if it all goes wrong? What if no one wants to be interviewed? What if no one watches it?"

"You can't not do it just because you're worried. This is the perfect opportunity! I- I could help you," I offered. "Film, anyway. If you have an idea for an episode, we could work on it together."

"You… really? You'd help me?"

"We're friends, aren't we? Friends help each other."

"None of my other friends have ever offered to help with this."

"Well, I guess I'm just a nice person," I replied dryly, prodding her lightly in the ribs. She squealed and jumped away, grinning at me as we turned another corner.

"You are," she replied softly.

My eyes got stuck on her for a few moments until I heard a nearby trickling of water and I looked in front of me, to find the mini waterfall rushing out of a gap in the canyon wall. The trees and bushes around were a much darker green, and the small pool of water reflected back a bright shade of blue from the sky.

"Santana… this is beautiful," Brittany murmured, stepping forward and surveying the area. I grinned, unable to help myself as I watched her expression. "Do… do you mind if I film it?"

"Sure, go ahead."

She flicked open her camcorder and pressed the record button, moving it slowly to take in first the waterfall, then a panorama of the entire canyon.

"You're a really good girlfriend," she commented as she turned slightly in my direction, but with the camcorder still pointing away.

"I'm really not that great," I replied quietly.

"No, you are. Mia… she's lucky to have you," Brittany said with the tiniest of sighs. She clicked her camcorder shut and turned to me, suddenly wearing one of her radiant smiles again. "So come on! She needs to see this!"

She grabbed my arm and started pulling me back up the path, and I felt a moment of regret that I couldn't stay there with her longer.

* * *

By the time we were approaching the top of the canyon again, it was almost dark. It had made for a spectacular walk back up with the sun setting, transforming the colours of the canyon walls back to the vibrancy we had seen them in at the very start of the day, although this time with a slightly warmer tint. But it was getting cold now, and we had all increased the pace of our walking to try and get back to the car as soon as possible. Our longest drive was still to come, and even with the stopover somewhere in the middle of Texas we were all going to be exhausted by the end of it. New Orleans was a long way.

I turned my head to look back and find Mia. She smiled at me, and I smiled back. I'd done well with her birthday. She'd loved that waterfall, and after a short while of appreciating it (and me) she had insisted we invite Tina, Quinn and Brittany down as well so they could see. I wasn't sure if she realised Brittany had already been there, but it didn't matter. Our argument in Vegas was all but forgotten, and as much as I was worried about Puck despite getting a text from him earlier in the day to say that he was home, I was kind of glad he wasn't with us. If he'd tagged along for the whole trip I doubted it would have ended well for anyone.

The path began to level out, and I could soon make out the silhouettes of the line of trees that bordered the parking lot. I sped up my pace again, ignoring the ache in my legs. I was not used to walking this much in one day. In fact the only person who didn't seem to be in any discomfort was Brittany, but that didn't surprise me in the slightest. Finally, I was no longer walking on a hill and I turned to lean against one of the trees, looking out across the canyon.

It was hard to see anything now. The colours had faded, and instead I found myself looking across a great expanse of darkness. With no lights apart from a couple of beams from Quinn and Tina's cellphone flashlights, the canyon was practically invisible. There was no sign that if you tried to walk across the area in front of me you would fall into an abyss. My eyes turned upwards. Another advantage of the lack of lights was how easily I could see the stars. In Lima and Sacramento it was always a little difficult, and during the year I had been living in New York I couldn't remember seeing any stars at all.

Something flashed to my right, and I swivelled my head quickly to catch sight of the shooting star just before it faded.

"Brittany, look!" I shouted, pointing up in the direction of it.

It took a few seconds before Quinn pointed her phone light at me and illuminated me enough for them all to see where I was pointing. I looked back, searching for more. There was meant to be more than one with a meteor shower, right? I felt Brittany brush against my arm as she reached me, and just as she did another flash of light crossed the sky.

"There, again! Did you see it?" I asked, turning to grin at her. "Meteor shower!"

Quinn's voice drifted across from further down the path. "I don't think that's a meteor shower, that's just-"

"Seriously Fabray, you have been spending way too much time with Rachel if you're about to start lecturing me on stars," I interrupted, before she could ruin it.

I didn't care what the technical term was. Two shooting stars was close enough to being a meteor shower to let me tick it off my bucket list.

Brittany's lips tickled softly against my hair as she whispered to me. "I think this is a good sign for the rest of your list."

I bit my lip to stop myself smiling. Maybe it wouldn't be as difficult as I'd thought to do that stuff. I wasn't really one to believe in superstition or "signs", or any of that crap. But nothing had ever felt more like a sign than this, with Brittany telling me that was exactly what it was. I felt a bubble of affection towards her, for convincing me to make that list with her. I'd always ridiculed people who were superstitious; but with her, I listened carefully to every word she said. I tilted my head back to whisper to her.

"Make a wish."

I didn't want anyone else hearing what I had said. Mia would never stop teasing me about it - and to be fair, I would do the same to her if the situation was reversed. But Brittany seemed like the kind of person to believe in wishing on a star. And I didn't want her to give up on her dream when it was barely even started. Maybe if I couldn't convince her it was worth pursuing, then this might.

I could just make out her face despite the darkness. Her eyes were closed and her lips moved slightly. Then she turned back to me, nudging me lightly.

"You too."

I blinked, glancing back up at the sky. I hadn't seen any more shooting stars since those first two. But it wasn't like I believed this would do anything anyway. And I had no idea what to wish for. Wishing had never done me any good in the past - at McKinley, and definitely not in New York. My eyes darted back to Brittany and I found her watching me intently, silently reassuring me. I couldn't say no to her. And I couldn't lie to her either, and say I'd wished when I hadn't. So I closed my eyes and for the first time in three years, I made a wish.

_Let her wish come true._

* * *

**Creative licence taken regarding what they're actually doing at the Grand Canyon. Picture a very mini version of Havasu Falls. I was planning to actually have them go there, but real life logistics would have made it difficult. **

**Thanks as usual to Nee :)**


	9. 21 Questions

Chapter Eight: 21 Questions

Mia slapped my hand away from the radio and I slumped back in my seat with a sigh.

"Seriously Mia, no one else wants to listen to this," I told her as the notes of the last song faded.

"Well tough luck, we all agreed driver gets music choice. So unless you fancy driving again the radio's in my control," she replied, tapping her fingers against the steering wheel as the next song started.

It took a few seconds before the familiar notes started beating against my brain and I sat straight up as Quinn let out a burst of laughter from behind me.

"No, no, absolutely not, we are _not_ listening to this!"

_Just a small town girl… livin' in a lonely world…_

I lashed out and blindly hit another button on the radio.

"Santana!" Mia objected, but I shook my head again.

"You have no idea how many times I've listened to and had to sing that song, our high school teacher was obsessed with it!"

"Well we're not listening to Britney Spears either!" Mia replied.

I was inclined to agree, but anything was better than fucking Journey. Hearing that song brought back way too many memories.

_-a slave for you… I cannot hold it, I cannot control it…_

"No, please not this," Brittany said from the back of the car. She was wearing such a pleading expression I let out a sigh and hit another button on the radio, praying it wouldn't take us back to Journey.

_-right home to you… I think I hear them callin'… oh, Beth what can I do? Beth what can-_

"Santana…"

I winced as I recognised the song and hit the same button again, sending an apologetic glance back at Quinn. She met my eyes for a second before returning her attention to her kindle. But as the lyrics for the song on the next radio station came out, I settled back with a grin.

"Okay, no objections to this? Good," I said without waiting for a reply. My year in New York hadn't exactly worked out as planned, but it was still my favourite place and I couldn't wait to make it back out there.

_-streets will make you feel brand new, big lights will inspire you, let's hear it for New York!_

* * *

Squished between Brittany and Quinn in the backseat a few hours later, it was a little difficult to join in the number plate game that everyone else was playing. Even Tina had managed to spot a couple while driving. I squinted out of Quinn's window, trying to work out if the car to our right was from New Jersey or New Hampshire.

"Have you seriously still not got your eyes tested?" Quinn asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

"I can see just fine," I replied, quickly rearranging my expression so it wasn't so obvious I was squinting. That car was too far away to see anyway.

"You know there is such a thing as contacts if you're so dead set against glasses."

"I think you'd look pretty with glasses," Brittany added.

"I-" I swallowed, trying to form a response. "No one looks good in glasses. And anyway, it doesn't matter, because I don't need them. See, there's Florida!" I said victoriously, pointing out of Brittany's window to the car just passing.

"But we already have Florida," Brittany replied, pointing to it almost at the top of her list.

"Oh." I dropped my arm and fell back in my seat. "We should play a different game."

"You only want to play a different game because you can't see any of the number plates properly," Quinn accused.

"Shut it Fabray."

* * *

"So exactly how far-"

"Santana I swear if you ask that one more time you'll be hitchhiking the rest of the way!" Quinn snapped from the driver's seat, clutching the steering wheel hard but her eyes never leaving the road.

"It's my car!"

"I don't fucking care if it's your car, you're driving me insane!"

I rolled my eyes, turning to look across at Brittany and Mia sitting next to me. Mia's head was resting lightly on my shoulder and her body shifted with the slight movements of the car. She had been asleep for at least an hour now, and I was glad my slight disagreement with Quinn hadn't woken her. On her other side was Brittany. She didn't seem to have heard our conversation at all; she was engrossed reading something on your phone. I reached across, careful not to disturb Mia, and tapped her lightly on the knee. She looked up quickly, but relaxed when she noticed me looking at her.

"What're you doing?" I murmured.

She smiled and passed across her phone so I could see she was looking at a website for an drive-in movie theatre.

"It's near the motel we're at tonight. I've always wanted to go to one, but…" She glanced around the car and shrugged. "I think everyone's going to be too tired."

"It's on your bucket list?" I guessed with a smirk.

She grinned and nodded.

"I'll go with you. I'm not that tired, and they always look pretty cool on TV."

"Really?" she asked, brightening considerably.

"You don't always have to act so surprised," I teased, poking her leg again. Mia shifted and I froze, thinking I might have woken her up, but then she settled back against me. "Quinn, do you want to come?" I asked, thinking I should probably offer.

She shook her head. "The moment you take over driving I'm falling asleep, and the moment we get to the motel I'm falling asleep somewhere more comfortable than your car."

"My car's more comfy than your car."

"And a bed is more comfy than any car," she retorted smoothly. "One night sleeping in this was plenty."

Checking on Tina, I found she was just as fast asleep as Mia.

"Yeah, I think it is just going to be us two. But that's fine. We'll make a party of it," I said to Brittany as I passed back her phone. If she had helped me create a bucket list, I was sure as hell going to help her with her own.

* * *

It was with a sigh of relief that I saw the blinking lights of the motel ahead. We'd been driving for almost 24 hours, switching drivers every so often. We had all agreed that we wanted this particular portion of the journey over as soon as possible, so we had even been eating in the car. Technically Brittany was meant to be driving right now, but when I'd noticed the GPS say we were only half an hour away from our destination and glanced back to find her sleeping so peacefully, I hadn't wanted to wake her. Especially if we really were going to go to this movie theatre. I surprisingly wasn't that tired - but I had slept a lot in the car last night and this morning.

I turned into the motel parking lot, noticing immediately how big it was, especially considering we were in some town I'd never heard of before. It wasn't until I drove around the corner to back into a parking space that I realised the reason it seemed so huge was because of the swimming pool right in the middle of the complex of buildings. I wasn't sure I'd want to use that pool though, considering how little we were paying for this room. Accommodation wasn't exactly at the top of our priorities for this trip.

As I pulled into the space Quinn began to stir next to me, and when the engine grumbled into silence I heard noise from the backseat. Pulling the keys out of the ignition, I turned where I was sitting to get a good view of Tina, Brittany and Mia curled up under a blanket. Brittany was blinking blearily as she came to. Her movements stirred Mia, and then Tina - like dominoes - but my eyes were fixed on Brittany. She looked around, her mind obviously taking a few moments to catch up with what she was seeing - and then it clicked, and her head swivelled straight towards me, a grin on her face.

"We're here?

"Yep. And it's not even eight yet. You guys sleep way too much."

"Says the girl who didn't move for twelve hours," Quinn muttered from opposite me, stretching as she opened her door and slid out of the car.

I kept the keys out in one hand as we checked in and carried the bags up to our room. It was surprisingly humid for this time of night, reminding me just how far east we had driven in the past day. Dropping my bag onto the bed nearest the door, I walked across the room to peer out of the window. I had a clear view of the swimming pool now, and it looked just as grimy as I had suspected. Several plastic sun loungers scattered around the pool edge appeared to have at least been washed recently - or maybe that had just been rain.

Brittany bounced up behind me, apparently wide awake now and impatient to leave.

"Can we go?"

I grinned and nodded, turning back to the rest of the room's occupants. Tina was already slumped on the other bed and I thought she might be asleep already. Mia was rifling through her bag, and Quinn had disappeared into the bathroom.

"We're going to this outdoor movie theatre, did you want to come?" I asked Mia, slipping some money and the spare room key into my pocket and moving towards the door. She didn't look that sleepy, but as I watched she pulled out her laptop and shook her head.

"Sorry, I promised dad I'd skype them tonight since we couldn't on my birthday. Have fun."

I waved farewell and backed out of the room, Brittany following shortly after with her usual wide grin. We walked in comfortable silence back to the car, and I typed the zip code and address quickly into my GPS. It was only as I drove us out of the parking lot I realised I had no idea what we were going to be watching.

"So what film are we seeing exactly?"

"Oh... uh... I forgot to check. Hang on."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw her tapping the screen of her phone. Fortunately the movie theatre was very close, but that did also mean we only had about ten minutes to decide on a film. I wasn't even sure if there was anything good on at the moment.

"Um... there's The Avengers. But I saw that last week. And that Pirates film, but they look kinda weird, my sister didn't like it."

"Oh yeah, claymation looks freaky," I agreed, turning left onto the main road.

"Ooh, do you like Disney?"

"Does anyone actually dislike Disney?"

"Well, one of the guys in my dance class hates it. But good! Because they're doing some kind of Disney marathon this month. So we could see Beauty and the Beast, or…" I heard a slight intake of breath and glanced over at her. She was staring at her phone, excitement clear in her face. "Finding Nemo. Can we watch Finding Nemo? Please?"

I tried not to laugh at the eagerness in her voice. "Finding Nemo beats Beauty and the Beast any day."

I giggled anyway when I caught sight of her punching the air, turning my attention back to the road and trying not to grin too much in anticipation of the night to come.

* * *

"How the hell are we stuck in a traffic jam at this time? Where have these cars even come from?" I growled, clutching the steering wheel tight and glaring at the line of cars in front. The night had been going so well until now. We'd found the movie theatre no problem, bought our tickets, watched the film - which I hadn't seen in years, and was surprisingly good for a kids' movie. Then not two minutes after driving out again we'd hit a line of traffic and had barely moved for quarter of an hour. My good mood was quickly dissolving.

Brittany's voice floated over from the opposite side of the car. "Hey Miss Grumpy Gills."

"…Wha-"

"When life gets you down you know what you gotta do?"

I bit my lip to stop myself laughing as I turned to look at her, finding her leaning over and grinning at me in the most adorable way.

"Just keep driving. Just keep driving. Driving, driving, driving-"

"Brittany stop!" I giggled, reaching out to push her lightly before I started laughing too much and it became hard to drive. Although it wasn't like we were moving anyway.

"Just keep driv- oh wait, no! Look, pull in where that shop is, we can get some food! And hopefully when we get back out the traffic will be gone."

I remained doubtful that the traffic would be gone after just a short stop - but it was hardly going to get worse, either, so I indicated and pulled into the tiny parking lot the moment the car in front gave me enough space. Brittany had hopped out of the car before I'd even taken the keys out. I wasn't sure if it was the sugar from all the popcorn we'd eaten or just the heartening after-effects of watching Marlin be reunited with Nemo, but she was even bouncier than normal.

I quickly followed her into the shop when she gestured at me to hurry, relieved to step into the air conditioned room and let the door swing shut on the humidity that was still lingering in the air despite the late hour. Brittany was already halfway down the aisle next to the entrance, and the shelf she was staring at appeared to be entirely populated by candy.

"Sure you need more sugar?" I asked as I sauntered down the aisle to stand next to her.

"What's better than sugar?"

I smirked, nodding my head to the back of the shop where various bottles and cans were stacked haphazardly on the shelves. She glanced down at it, then looked back at me with a grin of her own.

"You ever had cinnamon schnapps?"

I shook my head. She reached out and before I knew what was happening she was dragging me down the shop by one hand. She picked up one of the bottles and turned to present it to me. I took it, dubiously examining the label and the golden flecks floating about in the otherwise clear liquid.

"It's awesome. It's sparkly. Tastes like Christmas."

"It's May."

"So don't you need a little Christmas reminder, with it being so far away? It goes really well with apple juice."

I handed the bottle back to her and pulled away to look at the shelves further down. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Brittany watching me with a forlorn expression - but the moment I turned around with a carton of apple juice, her eyes lit up again. Within minutes we had bought the two drinks (as well as a box of Nerds at Brittany's insistence) and were back in the car. The traffic was still bad, but at least now all the cars were moving, however slowly. A variety of banners I noticed in their windows suggested they had all come from some sort of sports game, but I didn't really care what. I wanted to be back at the hotel already so we could get started on this "christmas" drink.

Eventually we turned the corner onto the road our hotel was on, and the traffic cleared. It was only as I stepped out of the car that I realised the others were all asleep in our room, and would not appreciate being woken up.

"Santana, come on!" Brittany called from somewhere behind me. I turned to find her already heading through the gap in the building towards the pool, our bag of goodies in one hand. I grabbed a couple of the plastic cups that had somehow got onto the backseat over the course of the last 24 hours, locked the car with a click of my keys, and walked rapidly through to join Brittany. She was already lying on one of the plastic sun loungers, tucking into the box of Nerds. She sat up quickly when I reached her, holding one hand out for the cups and picking up the schnapps with her other.

I settled down on the closest lounger as she busied herself with making the drinks, accepting my cup with a grin and clinking it against hers. It made a rather unsatisfying noise, but I took a sip anyway. I could taste the alcohol immediately. It burned through me - but not in an unpleasant why. It was like spices, warming you up from the inside. And now I understood why Brittany had called it a Christmas drink.

I swung my legs up onto the lounger as I took another sip, watching with interest over the top of my cup as Brittany rolled off the other side of hers, pushing it with her legs until it bumped lightly against one corner of mine. She retrieved her drink from next to the pool and dropped back down, stretching out her legs and kicking her shoes off the end.

"I don't have to shout now," she said, wiggling a little until she was lying back properly, her head tilted slightly to look over at me. "This was fun. I've never been to Texas before. I'm glad we didn't just sleep."

"Definitely. We can sleep in the car tomorrow," I agreed, taking another sip from my cup and enjoying the slight buzzing in my head. I wasn't sure how much apple juice Brittany had put in to counteract the schnapps, but I had a feeling it wasn't much. I took one last gulp, emptying the cup and setting it down so it balanced in the small gap between our loungers. Brittany laughed and did the same after downing the rest of hers.

"So. Santana," she started, fixing me with a serious expression. "Do you have a cat?"

I just about managed to hold in a giggle. "I… what?"

"A cat. Because they're great. And so are you. So do you have one? Because if you don't you should get one."

"If I wanted a pet I'd get something way better than a cat," I retorted, reaching down for the bottle to refill our cups. This was going to be an interesting night.

"What's better than a cat?" Brittany replied, looking scandalised.

"Something tough."

"Cats are tough! Lord Tubbington's got through rehab!"

I descended into a fit of giggles at her words, the bottle almost sliding out of my hand. She grabbed it from my hand and finished refilling, only handing my cup back to me when I had calmed down enough to hold it steady.

"Seriously though. What's tougher than a cat?"

"I dunno. Dogs. Snakes."

She was shaking her head as I spoke, so I tried to think of something better.

"Wolves. Bears. Dragons."

"Dragons?" she repeated in a squeak, sloshing some of her drink over the lounger. She wiped at it absentmindedly with one hand, never looking away from me. "I don't think they'd let you keep a dragon in an apartment. It might burn it down. Then the other people in your building would get upset."

"Well that's the risk you take with getting an awesome pet," I replied with a shrug, taking another gulp of my drink. It burned just as much as before - but it was somehow a pleasant burn.

"So really. Do you have any pets? Do your parents? Where do they live?"

"You're making this like 20 questions," I teased, and was rewarded by her sitting up straight. The liquid in her cup swirled dangerously close to the rim, but this time didn't spill.

"Yes! We should do that! I'll go first."

"Well you've got to cut it down to one question at a time. Now choose carefully. Twenty answers you're getting out of Santana Lopez - no more than that."

"Bet I could persuade you to make it thirty. Especially once you drink more of that," she said, nodding at the cup in my hand that was miraculously empty again.

She was probably right, but I quickly shook my head.

"First question."

"Where'd you grow up?" she responded straight away, turning so she was facing me properly, elbow perched up on the lounger and her hand supporting her head.

"Lima, Ohio. And I already know where you grew up, so-"

"Wait, no! You've got to answer better than that!"

"Come on, it's fucking Ohio. There's nothing to say."

"Well I've never been to Ohio before! I want to know what it was like for you. Like… what did people say, when they found out you were gay?"

Despite the pleasant buzzing in my head, my response to her question was not numbed enough to stop my heart thudding wildly and a lump appearing in my throat.

"That's a second question. I still haven't asked my first," I replied as firmly as I could, attempting to bury my face in the cup before I remembered it was empty. I reached again for the bottle, and asked the first thing that came to mind. "Where'd you get your cat?"

"My uncle found him when he was a kitten. He was going to take him to an animal shelter, but my mom had said I had to prove I could look after an animal properly before she got me a hamster. So I said I'd look after him for a few days to prove to her that I could do it. And then I never gave him back," she added with a grin.

"Lucky cat," I said, resisting making any comment about how adorable that was. I wanted to ask more questions - there were so many things I wanted to know about her - but I'd been the one to set down the rule of one question at a time. I'd have to wait for my turn again. "Okay, next question."

She pondered for a few moments - actually pondered, too. Her lips were pursed and she was rubbing her chin and staring thoughtfully at me. I bit my lip to stop myself smiling like an idiot at her. At least she seemed to have forgotten her previous half-asked question - and my nerves had settled surprisingly quickly after that. The alcohol was obviously doing its work.

"Worst kiss."

"Oh, that's easy. This guy at my high school - Finn. Fucking _terrible_. Worst idea. Our crazy cheerios coach wanted us to date younger men."

"…Why?"

"God knows. I said she was crazy. You?"

"Hmm… the janitor at my school wasn't very good."

My mouth dropped open and I didn't even try to pretend I wasn't staring at her. She kept a straight face for a good ten seconds before giggling and knocking my arm.

"Stop looking at me like that. He was only like two years older than me. And he was hot. All the other girls were jealous, they didn't believe me when I said he was a bad kisser."

"But still… the _janitor_?"

She shrugged, her lips curling up at the corners. "I've kissed a lot of people. It's fun."

My gaze dropped to her lips, imagining it for a second before I caught myself.

_Jesus, Lopez, how much have you had to drink?_

I coughed awkwardly, shifting to place my cup down on the other side of the lounger so I didn't have to look at her for a few moments. My head spun as I leaned down, and I blinked a couple of times to try and clear my vision. That stuff really was strong. But I guess I had drunk quite a bit of it. Three cups. Was it three? Or two? Or four?

Brittany's sing-song voice floated over from behind me. "Santaaaana, you can't hide from the questions."

I shuffled back to face her again, this time focusing on keeping my eyes on hers. She had really blue eyes. I could see it even though it was dark. Although there were lights around too. That was good or I'd probably trip up going back to our room later. I shook my head to try and focus on what she was saying.

"-you went to."

"…What?"

She smirked, like she'd known the whole time I wasn't listening. "First concert you went to."

"…Britney Spears," I admitted after a slight pause. Brittany's expression shifted to one of horror. "I was ten, alright? Okay seriously, you can't look at me like that. Stop," I ordered, pushing her lightly and succeeding in changing her frown to a giggle. "Guilty pleasure?"

"Sweet Valley High."

"Me too! I love that show!" I exclaimed, pleasantly surprised by her answer. "Hey, I have some episodes on Mia's laptop, we should watch it some time."

There was a slight pause before she nodded, drinking some more before setting her cup down. She took some time, and I guessed she was trying to think of her next question. When she reappeared, she was smirking in my direction.

"Awkwardest time you ever got caught?"

I froze as the memories of last year came spinning back, my gut clenching at just the thought of it even though it was way in the past. I tried not to react externally, but my mind was being sluggish and Brittany was already staring at me with a worried expression.

"Santana? I… never mind. I can ask a different question."

I gulped down the lump in my throat and forced a smile as I shook my head. I could just lie and tell her one of the many times with Puck. But I didn't want to lie to her. And anyway, wasn't it about time I was over this?

"Some photos got taken at a party. Of me, and Mia. And put on facebook," I admitted in a low voice. "Mia got so mad at that guy for posting them, they got taken down really quick - but people still saw them. And only a few people knew I was dating Mia at the time. But then everyone knew," I explained as briefly as I could with a slight shrug, trying to keep as neutral an expression as possible. I could tell by the way she was looking at me that I wasn't doing very well at it.

Before I really knew what was happening, her arm was wrapped around me and she was hugging me tightly.

"I'm sorry, Santana. That guy's a butt."

A smile sneaked its way onto my face at the insult and I hugged her back.

"Don't worry," I murmured into her shoulder, wanting to reassure her. "It's over now. Anyway, he dropped out the next semester because his GPA got too low," I added with a smirk, pulling back.

Her arm stayed around me for a few seconds later before she pulled back as well. She still didn't look happy though. I could almost see her mind working, heading towards the conclusion of why I disliked cameras so much. But I didn't want her realising that. For one it was a stupid paranoia. And secondly, I didn't want her worrying about me helping her with Fondue.

"Who'd win in a fight, Santa or the Easter Bunny?" I asked quickly.

Her brow furrowed as she stared at me. I had definitely distracted her.

"But… I don't understand the question. Why would they be fighting?"

"Do they need a reason?"

"Well yeah. They've both got their own holidays, and it's not like they give out the same things. Unless the Easter Bunny's trying to expand his business, and give regular presents instead of eggs…"

I stayed in a bewildered silence as she rambled on about the respective merits of eggs and presents, and how the Easter Bunny should be thankful he didn't have to climb up and down chimneys.

When the Easter Bunny versus Santa debate had passed (with the conclusion that if they teamed up they would win any fight against anyone) the questions continued, hers getting increasingly bizarre as the night went on and more schnapps was consumed. I started making a tally, drawing on the floor with a stone to keep track of how many questions she'd asked. I wasn't having her going over twenty questions without me realising. It wasn't that I really minded if she did. But I'd said only twenty. And I wouldn't be Santana Lopez if I went back on that without a fight. I managed to learn plenty about Brittany though - how she hadn't had many friends until she'd helped win her high school a cheerleading competition, and that she'd struggled through classes with the help of one friend in particular, enough to get into college. Apparently I'd meet him at some point on this trip, since he'd gone to UGA too and was staying in the area over the summer.

My cup tipped over onto the ground when I set it down again at a bad angle - but I'd just drank the rest of what was in it anyway so I didn't bother to pick it up. I rolled back over to face Brittany, preparing for another crazy question. She was giggling already and she hadn't even started speaking yet. I grinned back, vaguely aware in the back of my head I must look like an idiot, but not really caring.

"Okay… okay," she said as her laughter quietened with visible effort on her part. She smoothed out her expression for a couple of seconds before dissolving into giggles again.

"Briiiitt, ask the question," I whined.

"Evergivensomeonealapdance?" she burst out.

My mouth opened but no sound came out as I tried to work out if I'd really just heard her right.

"You… I… _what_?"

"A… a lapdance," she repeated in between giggles. "Have you ever given one?"

"What kind of question is that? No! I… wait. Have _you_?"

She bit her lip, grinning as she nodded.

"Brittany! Who?" I demanded, sitting up straight and tilting slightly to one side when I overbalanced.

She shrugged. "A few people. It's just another kind of dance. And dancing's fun," she added with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

I laughed and shook my head, trying to control the mental images I was getting as I leaned down to add another tally line - and realised with surprise we had already reached twenty. That had sure passed quickly.

"And, 20 questions time over," I declared, standing as I did and almost toppling back onto the lounger when a wave of dizziness washed over me.

"Aww… but I have so many more questions! Good questions!"

I pulled out my phone to see if we really could stay up longer, but my eyes widened when I saw the time.

"It's 2am! We need to be up in like five hours," I realised aloud, reaching down to locate my cup from where it had rolled under the lounger. I stood up again, taking a few steps to test my balance, when Brittany's voice called out.

"Wait, Santana!"

I turned slowly, doing my best not to sway. Brittany hurried around from where our loungers had been pushed together. She wasn't laughing anymore. In fact, as she got closer, I noticed she looked nervous. But that was probably just my drunken brain misinterpreting.

"I… I have one more question," she whispered, stopping right in front of me.

"Of course you do," I teased. "And then another. And another."

"No, just one," she said seriously. She really did look worried.

"Okay," I murmured, pushing aside all the reasons I had ready in my head to argue why she couldn't ask more.

She hesitated, tongue flicking out to wet her lips as she stared down at me. I forced my eyes up again.

"If… if I…"

A storm blew up from nowhere in my stomach when I realised the focus of her gaze was just that little bit lower than my eyes. I breathed in quickly as the tips of her fingers skimmed against my jaw, and I rapidly became aware of how close she was to me. It felt like my brain was wading through a swamp to try and reach me, but I was too entranced to want to pay any attention to it - until her face inched closer so I could feel her breath on my face, and my mind suddenly clicked back into gear.

I stumbled away, looking anywhere but at her and breathing hard as I fully realised what I had been about to do. The cup in my hand dropped back to the floor but I let it roll across the ground, spinning around to speed-walk towards the stairs. I heard Brittany call after me, and the tone of her voice almost made me go back to make sure she was okay, but my legs kept moving. I pulled the swipe card from my pocket to unlock the door to our room, but paused just before entering to calm myself.

Mia was inside this room. Mia, my girlfriend. Mia, who'd stuck by me during all the shit that went down last year with those photos. What would she say if she knew what I'd almost just done?

I took a few deep breaths, but I didn't want to linger too long in case Brittany came up to try and talk to me. I couldn't deal with that right now. I couldn't think. My mind was ablaze with guilt and confusion. I pushed the door open, leaving it slightly ajar so that Brittany could get in. I didn't bother getting changed. I just kicked my shoes off and crawled into bed next to Mia, trying not to wake her. I stared at the back of Mia's head, wanting to reach out and reassure myself but not daring to.

She came in a few minutes later. I heard the creak of the door, then it clicked as she shut it. The bottle clinked when she set it down, and I heard a sniff at the same time. I wanted to turn around and check she was okay. But I remained where I was, my back to her, pretending to be sleeping. My heart pounded against my chest as I listened to every movement she made. The creak of one of the floorboards told me she had stepped closer, and then I heard her whisper.

"I'm sorry."

I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping she'd just think I was asleep. Long moments passed, and I had no idea if she was still there or not. I could picture her hovering next to me, nervously waiting for a response. Just like I could picture her face so close to mine just minutes ago, leaning in, transfixed.

A little while later, I heard the click of the bathroom door, and I let out an unsteady breath. I wanted to sleep. I wanted to forget about all of this. But I couldn't relax. I couldn't make sense of what had just happened. I kept thinking over every interaction I'd had with Brittany over the last week and a bit, but my brain couldn't keep up. Everything was blurring into one. Brittany still hadn't emerged from the bathroom when I finally drifted into a restless sleep.

* * *

**This chapter has not been beta-ed, so I apologise if there's any mistakes.**

**Edit: Probably should have added this when I first posted it, but there's unlikely to be an update next weekend. I'm visiting a friend, and I also need to properly plan out what's happening in the next few chapters. I'll start work on it tonight or tomorrow though at least, and post any updates on how it's going on my tumblr (laurasfantasia. tumblr. com).**


	10. Just Keep Driving

Chapter Nine: Just Keep Driving

"Santana? Wake up…"

I grumbled a half-protest at Mia's voice interrupting my sleep, but the memories of last night returned, and with them my voice fled. I gulped down the lump in my throat, but couldn't do anything about my stomach churning. I kept my eyes closed, trying to fall back asleep and forget everything, but then something poked my arm.

"Come on, wake up. What time did you guys stay up till last night anyway?"

Her voice faded with the last words, and I risked peeking out through my lashes to see her walking away to the other side of the room.

"I don't remember. It was late though. Maybe you should let her sleep."

I slammed my eyelids shut again as Brittany came into view.

"She can sleep in the car, we need to start driving."

"_Santana!_"

Quinn's bark made me sit up straight before I even realised what I was doing. She smirked at me from the end of the bed, and I swore at her under my breath as I tumbled out from under the sheets. I did my best not to think too much as I moved to grab some fresh clothes, keeping my eyes trained on the floor and sidling into the bathroom without making eye contact with anyone.

I rinsed my face and the sleepy fog began to lift from my brain, allowing me to think somewhat clearly.

For once, alcohol had not numbed my memories of the night before, although I wasn't sure if the strong sense of nausea was a direct result of the schnapps or just the events it had caused. Because there was no way I would ever have let that happen if I was sober. I just got caught up in the moment. That was it. And it was probably the same for Brittany too. Almost certainly. It hadn't been serious. It had just been a stupid moment after a good night and I should notbe freaking out over it. I should definitely not be hiding in the bathroom when I'd finished changing five minutes ago so I didn't have to face her. Or Mia. I wasn't sure who exactly I was avoiding.

"Santana, have you fallen asleep again?" Quinn yelled, accompanying her shout with a bang on the bathroom door.

I pulled the door open fast, so her hand went straight through the space the door had been occupying a few moments ago and she almost fell into me. I shoved her lightly to one side so I could walk out, sparing her a withering glance and hoping I was doing okay at keeping up my normal attitude. She rolled her eyes and didn't seem to notice anything odd, and the rapid beating of my heart slowed a little. I started to make my way across the room, but then found myself opposite Brittany, and it went straight back to pounding. I met her gaze for just a few seconds before I managed to pull my eyes away, staring at the worn carpet again as I moved to pick up my bag and stuff the dirty clothes in the top. I opened the door without glancing back, and only realised when I stepped out of the room that I had just buried the car keys in my bag, somewhere inside my hoodie. I pulled it out again and over my head, finding them in my pocket.

I made it to the car and into the backseat without having to talk to anyone, dropping the keys in the front seat for Brittany. Stuffing my bag in between my feet I wrested a blanket out from behind and wrapped it around myself, pulling it up to my nose and closing my eyes just as I heard Brittany's voice get loud enough to hear properly when she hopped up into the car. She was talking to Mia about some singer and I wondered how she could act so carefree. It was like nothing had ever happened. Had I completely misinterpreted what had happened? No, because she'd said sorry last night, and looked very sorry for those few moments I looked at her earlier. And she should be sorry. She'd tried to kiss me!

Except even though I kept repeating that in my head, in time with the rumbling of the car as we drove off again, I couldn't convince myself to be angry. Who could be angry at Brittany? She was just so… I couldn't even think of the right words, that would do her justice. God that sounded sappy. I should not be sounding sappy over Brittany. She was my _friend_. Nothing else. Mia's friend, too. And anyway, this was me! Santana Lopez! Santana Lopez doesn't get _sappy_.

"So how was the movie last night?" I heard Quinn ask. She was sat in the front seat next to Brittany, and my ears immediately focused in on their conversation.

"It was great! Finding Nemo!"

"Ah, well I'm glad she didn't drag you to one of those disgusting slasher films."

"Oh, no, I wouldn't like that. I watched one with Artie before, when we first started dating. I think it was just because he wanted an excuse to hold my hand. I… uh, don't think Santana wanted that."

I heard Quinn laugh loudly at the suggestion, and my stomach clenched. I couldn't see my hands, but I could feel them joined under the blanket. I thought back to last night, and imagined reaching over the car for Brittany's hand…

_Santana, stop!_

I jerked in reaction to my own internal thoughts, and a second later someone's hand was in mine. My eyes opened quickly, and I found myself looking into Mia's smiling face.

"You okay?"

I nodded once, not trusting myself to speak.

"Go back to sleep, it's hours before you have to drive again," she suggested, squeezing my hand.

I nodded again, closing my eyes and turning my head away from her to lean against the window. I could feel her hand in mine still, somewhere under the blanket, and when my mind drifted off again, imagining it was Brittany's instead, I felt the pit of dread in my stomach intensify.

This could not happen. I would not let myself mess things up with Mia again just because I was having a few daydreams about some other girl, especially one I barely knew. But I could hear her laughter tinkling gently in the front of the car, and when the goosebumps rose on the back of my neck I got this feeling that it wouldn't be as simple as just ignoring it. Maybe it would be best if I tried to distance myself. Although that could be difficult when we still had a few thousand miles to go… Brittany's words from last night began to play in a loop in my head.

_Just keep driving, just keep driving…_

* * *

"Hey, Santana. Santana?"

I blinked several times, Mia's voice filtering through hazy thoughts of casinos and swimming pools. Had I fallen asleep again?

"We're getting some food, do you want me to get you anything?" she murmured. I felt her fingers brush a strand of hair back from my face, and turned my head without thinking about what I was doing. Her hand dropped away. "I'll get some cereal bars or something, okay?"

She pulled away and a few seconds later I heard the car door slam shut to my right. As I became more aware of my surroundings, I heard the others' voices as well.

"Tina! Tina, did you hear the news?"

"No, what?"

"Hey Brittany, aren't you coming?"

"I'll be there in a minute."

Her voice was loud, and with a jolt I realised she was still inside the car with me. My eyes snapped open and I reached out for the door handle, slipping it open and stumbling ungracefully out of the car, the blanket that had been wrapped around me falling to the floor. I stooped to pick it up and stuff it back inside, slamming the door shut and hurrying after Mia, who was watching me curiously. I pressed my lips together into a smile when I caught up with her, running a hand through my hair to try and tidy it a little.

"Sorry. Don't want you getting those disgusting honey oat bars again though."

"They're good!" she protested.

"Oh please, I had enough rabbit food in high school. I need some real food to keep me going."

Brittany's voice called after us, shattering the momentary normality of life with Mia and making all my worries bubble up again. Mia glanced back, and lifted a hand to my arm to bring us both to a halt.

"We should wait for Brittany."

"Why?" I replied, quicker and sharper than I had intended.

She frowned at me. "Because she's calling?"

"Well I'm hungry, and she's taking forever. Wait if you want, I'm gonna get some food."

I pulled out of Mia's light hold, walking into the Walmart we had pulled up at without glancing back. My heart was beating fast, and knowing I was acting weirdly was not making it any better. I had to get a better grip on myself! This was ridiculous!

I pushed thoughts of Brittany and Mia to the back of my mind, again, turning down one of the aisles without bothering to check what it was. Great. Frozen section. This was going to be useful. I didn't reverse, though - I didn't want to risk running into Mia and Brittany. Both of them at the same time was definitely too much to handle right now. I walked to the end and turned, this time paying attention to the signs and finally making my way towards one labelled snacks. I picked out a jumbo bag of chips, realising too late I hadn't got a shopping cart, then as an afterthought grabbed some pasta salad as well. Despite what I'd said to Mia, I wasn't entirely opposed to the idea of eating healthily. But Coach Sue's many diets had put me off cardboard-tasting cereal bars for life.

The next aisle was full of candy. I was about to step into it, but then I noticed the giant boxes of Nerds to my right and paused. I wasn't sure what had happened to those Nerds last night. At one point Brittany had mixed some in with my drink with the intention of turning it purple, but it hadn't worked. I bit my lip to stop myself smiling at the memory of her sparkling eyes and bright grin as she dropped in one after the other - and then I felt a stab of guilt, and the smile faded. This wasn't right. I shouldn't be so entranced by this girl when I didn't even know her properly. I never randomly started daydreaming about Mia's smile when I was busy with other stuff. So what was so different about Brittany?

"Santana!"

I wasn't sure if my heart leaped into my throat in excitement or dropped into my stomach in terror when the object of my thoughts appeared at the other end of the candy aisle I had stopped next to. She walked quickly towards me, and I barely had the time to turn around and try and walk away before she was next to me, reaching out to gently grasp my shoulder.

"Santana, please."

I scowled at the cartons of milk just a few feet away, refusing to look at her but unable to make myself walk away from this situation entirely. She seemed to take my silence as acquiescence, and started to speak.

"I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry, I don't know what I was thinking, I-"

"Be quiet!" I hissed, spinning to glare at her. She visibly drooped, staring at me with an expression of such dismay that I had to look away again.

"I... sorry-"

"Do you want the whole store to hear?" I snapped again, crossing my arms against my chest. The bag of chips almost slipping out of my hand. "Forget it. Don't say anything. There's nothing to say."

"I was just drunk, and I thought..."

"Don't think, either! It didn't happen, okay?"

Her lips were quivering, but she nodded, this time not saying a thing.

"Good," I replied shortly, taking another step away from her. Her expression was tearing at me, making me angry at my own words, and I didn't know what to think. I spun, intending to walk away, but she spoke again before I could.

"We... we can still be friends, right?"

I turned to look back at her, swallowing the lump in my throat as I nodded. "Sure. Course. Why wouldn't we be?"

She sniffed and gave me a wavering smile, and I turned to walk away before she could say anything else that might grate at my insides. I made my way rapidly to the checkout, standing in line and glancing back every so often to make sure Brittany hadn't followed. She was nowhere to be seen, but I still twisted my head every couple of minutes to check she hadn't snuck up on me to try and continue that conversation. Talk about cornering me… I reached the till after about five minutes of waiting, handing over just my chips and pasta salad since I'd forgotten to pick anything else up. Never mind. At least this way I could get back to the car before that others and pretend I'd fallen asleep again. Then there wouldn't be any chance for further awkward conversations, with Brittany or Mia or anyone else.

I was walking out of Walmart when someone fell in besides me. I swivelled, ready to snap, but then saw it was only Tina and shut my mouth quickly.

"Why aren't you shopping?"

"Already got food, and I lost Quinn in the book section."

"So why aren't you buying books? You and Quinn talk about them enough."

She shrugged, a gentle smile flitting over her face. "I read a lot of the classics Quinn loves when I was younger. Too busy nowadays, but it's still good to talk about them. Anyway, thought I'd come out here and enjoy the sunshine."

"Whatever floats your boat," I replied briefly, my footsteps slowing when it occurred to me I couldn't get into the car until Brittany arrived with the keys anyway.

"Are you okay?"

I frowned, glancing across at her. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You seem more... uh..." Her face twisted, and I could tell she was trying to think of a way to say what she was thinking without insulting me. She was always kind of odd like that. "-More brusque, than usual. And Brittany's upset too," she added quickly, like it was a simple afterthought.

I kept my eyes firmly on the gravel as we walked together, wetting my lips with my tongue. They had suddenly got very dry. It must be this ridiculous Texas weather.

"What are you talking about? She's fine. She was joking around all this morning in the car."

Too late I realised I had given away that I hadn't actually been asleep for the entire journey, but either she didn't notice or just didn't want to comment.

"I know her pretty well. Maybe it's not obvious to everyone, but I can tell she's upset about something."

I wanted to argue that she wasn't the only one who could tell when Brittany was sad, but stopped myself just in time. That would be extremely counter-productive given my last words.

"Well what's she got to be upset about? We're on this awesome road trip."

Tina shrugged again as we reached the car, moving to lean against it in the direct rays of the sun. I stood next to her, dropping my bag between my feet and staring across at the front of the store, so I would be able to spot the others when they returned.

"Maybe Artie still. I don't think so, though. I'm not really sure. I thought she might've said something to you last night about whatever it is. She's been acting weird since we were at the Grand Canyon, but she won't tell me why. She always tell me why. And she's been talking so much with you, I thought she might have told you instead."

For a few seconds I felt relief that the events of last night hadn't been the cause of Brittany being upset - but then my stomach dropped when the thought popped into my head that maybe she'd been thinking about it before.

Looking over at Tina I found her face creased with worry. I shrugged apologetically.

"Sorry, she hasn't said anything to me." And technically she hadn't. But that didn't mean I didn't know what was wrong. "I'm sure she'll be fine once we get to New Orleans. She's probably just tired of all the travelling."

"I hope so," Tina agreed with a nod. The frown on her face smoothed out into another smile as she lifted a hand to wave. I looked away from her, back towards the store, and found Brittany, Quinn and Mia approaching. Quinn was grinning and lifted a book up into the air to wave back. Brittany was hanging behind the other two, and next to me I saw Tina's smile fade when she noticed as well.

But then the car clicked open behind me and I remembered the awkwardness from earlier, so I quickly turned and opened the door to climb back in before the others had even reached us. I rescued the blanket from the floor and pulled it over me again, kicking the bag of food under the seat in front. I could hear some discussion on the other side of the car and noticed Brittany and Tina both standing by the driver's door. Tina was holding out her hand, and Brittany appeared to be arguing with her. It only lasted a few moments, then she dropped something in Tina's outstretched hand and turned to pull open the other door. I met her eyes and quickly looked away when she shuffled in next to me. I couldn't feel her next to me, but then Quinn's voice floated into the car as well, complaining that she didn't have enough space. A few seconds later, Brittany's leg knocked against mine. I tried to gulp away the lump in my throat, but it didn't work.

Mia and Tina were chattering in the front seat and Quinn was probably absorbed in her book already, but there was a heavy silence right next to me. I twisted in my seat so I was curled into the corner, closing my eyes and willing myself to sleep, but it was impossible with her leg brushing against mine. The blanket shifted and I thought she was going to pull it away, but then I just felt something brush my pinky. My heart leapt into my throat at the gesture, but as her finger moved again to hook through mine, I was suddenly reminded of my earlier thoughts; of what it would be like to properly hold her hand.

I snatched my hand away, pulling it into my lap. I heard a quick intake of breath next to me, and I pressed my forehead against the window. Already I was breaking my agreement that we could be friends. Could I not even manage that?

New Orleans couldn't come soon enough.

* * *

Somehow, I fell asleep again in the car. I didn't know how. One minute I was curled up as far away from Brittany as I could get, and the next I was being shaken awake by Mia, the door open next to me and the rest of the car empty. She smiled fondly down at me, leaning in to kiss my cheek.

"We're here."

"We… what? But…" My brain struggled to catch up and work out the reason we couldn't be in New Orleans yet. "I haven't driven at all…"

"Brittany did your driving. She said you did hers yesterday."

My stomach turned at the reminder, now with a double mixture of guilt; first for almost kissing her, and now again for pulling away. I shouldn't have done that.

"I… where are the others?" I mumbled, slipping out and peering about the hotel parking lot. This place was huge - and fancy huge rather than just having a pool stuck between buildings. Finding accommodation in New Orleans had been a little harder than we'd anticipated, so we'd had to spend a bit more.

"Inside already. Well, Brittany went to the shop across the road, but she'll be back soon. Come on."

I nodded, trying not to think too much as we headed inside the large building. It was increasingly difficult as I started to wake up properly, and it occurred to me that I had been asleep for far too much of today to be able to sleep properly tonight. If the situation was better, it might have been a good opportunity to try out that 'stay awake for 48 hours' part of my bucketlist. I wondered if anything was going to come of that, or if it would just end up stuffed in the bottom of my bag for the rest of the trip now I had pushed her away. Maybe it would be easier, anyway; pushing her away. I wouldn't have to constantly worry about thoughts of doing non-friends things like kiss…

By the time we had made it up to the hotel room, the sleepiness I had been feeling before had completely faded. I was wide awake again. My sleep pattern was truly destroyed. I slouched into an armchair, not really feeling like talking even though I wasn't tired. The others weren't being talkative either though, really. Tina was locked away in the bathroom, Quinn was now reading the last few pages of the book she'd bought earlier, and Mia was lying across one of the beds. She smiled across at me lazily, but I could see that her eyelids kept flickering shut. She'd be asleep soon. Quinn would either sleep or dive headfirst into another book, and Tina always seemed to take an extraordinarily long time singing in the shower. Which meant that when Brittany returned, it would basically just be me and her. And that would have been great a couple of days ago. Someone to keep me company while everyone else was being boring. But now it would just be awkward. I rose from the chair, digging in my pocket to make sure there was still money in there from earlier before speaking.

"I'm going to the bar. Anyone coming?"

It didn't surprise me when all I got was two shaken heads and a surprisingly appropriate burst of 'blame it on the a-a-a-a-alcohol' from Tina through the bathroom door. I shrugged and left the room, heading towards the elevator. It was already on our floor so I stepped straight inside, hitting the button for the first floor and leaning against the back mirror as it trundled downward. I'd noticed a sign for the bar on our way inside, and in a place this size it should at least have a decent stock of alcohol.

The elevator dinged and I straightened, preparing to step out - but as the doors opened, I came face to face with the very person I'd been trying to avoid. Brittany looked just as surprised as I felt. I stepped forward, trying to step past her without saying anything, but she moved at the last moment to block my path.

"I'm going to the bar."

"Can't you go in five minutes?"

I tried to think of a good reason to say no, but came up with nothing. She took my silence as agreement and stepped inside. Before I could protest again, she had pressed the button for our floor and the doors were closing. I backed up, leaning against the opposite wall and surveying the doors, willing someone else to step inside and break up the coming conversation.

I heard the rustle of a plastic bag and glanced across at her to see one being pushed at me.

"I got this for you. To… say sorry. Properly. Cause I didn't earlier, not really, and I need to."

I eyed the bag suspiciously, reaching out for it after a couple of seconds and peering inside. I felt my heart start to thump faster at the sight of the rubik's cube resting in the bottom. The elevator doors dinged again, but I slammed my hand against the button to stop them opening, then the button for the top floor. Brittany remained mostly silent as the elevator started rising again, but I could hear her breathing as I reached inside the bag to draw out the rubik's cube. She'd taken it out of the packaging and already scrambled the colours. I managed a few experimental turns before she spoke.

"That's not how you start, you need to-"

"Hey," I interrupted softly. I lifted my eyes to hers to see her watching me, biting her lip and her hands clasped tightly in front of her. How was I meant to not be friends with her? I was being an idiot. "Don't tell me."

"Okay," she agreed, just as quiet. The door dinged again, and this time it was her sending it back down to the bottom floor.

I held the rubik's cube tightly in one hand, managing a small smile. The corners of her lips turned up, then she broke out into a full grin.

"Sorry," I muttered. I had to say it. I couldn't have explained exactly what I was apologising for if she'd asked. It was a multitude of things. I just knew that right now I felt the need to apologise to Brittany, and that was all that mattered.

"Me too."

"Thanks for the rubik's cube. Awesome present."

She bit her lip, eyes flicking away to the doors before returning to shine at me. "You're welcome."

The sound of the doors rang out one last time, and this time there was actually someone on the other side - a rather grumpy-looking old woman who must have been waiting there a while. I reached out impulsively for Brittany's pinky and tugged her out of the elevator, warmth flooding through me again at just that simple touch. I wasn't exactly sure how, but last night had apparently been put aside and we were friends again. I just had to hope we could make it through the rest of the road trip without a repeat.


	11. Songbird

Chapter Ten: Songbird

"Hey look, that's the state museum!"

"Come on Quinn, there's got to be way more interesting things to do in New Orleans than go in museums," I replied with a roll of my eyes, spinning to face away from the cathedral and take in the whole square. Dozens of art stalls were lined out in front of me, and to my right I could hear music - presumably live. We had already passed several musicians well equipped to cater to tourists' jazz needs. A line of horses and carriages was on the opposite side of the grass, waiting on the road for potential customers who would rather spend a fortune than use their own legs.

"There's Cafe Du Monde nearby, and the French Market. Or we could go on a boat on the Mississippi, or go in the cathedral. The museum too," Mia said, looking up from her notepad. "Is there anything anyone really wants to see? I think it's best if we just wander and see what we find. Pretty much everything is walking distance in the French Quarter."

I shrugged, glancing at the others. None of them seemed particularly inclined to argue - except for Quinn, who glanced back again at the museum. I grinned, bumping her shoulder with my own.

"Calm it, Quinn, we're not gonna forget your museum," I teased, pulling her by the arm down in the direction of one of the side streets that had somehow earned the name 'Pirates Alley'.

"D'you think they had real pirates here?" Brittany asked, popping up on my other side. "Is New Orleans like the Tortuga of the Mexican Gulf?"

Quinn let out a snort of laughter next to me and I elbowed her, looping my other arm around Brittany's and pulling her forward.

"I think if anywhere was the Tortuga of the Mexican Gulf, this would be it," I told her. I removed my arm from around hers, but didn't pull back any more than that. After last night I didn't want to make the mistake of backing away from her again. She hadn't really done anything wrong; nothing that warranted not being her friend, anyway. I just wasn't quite sure what she thought about the whole situation. She was sorry, I knew that. But would she have still been sorry if I hadn't pulled away?

Probably. She didn't seem like the kind of person to ignore Mia's involvement. I was pretty sure she wouldn't have tried that if we'd been sober. But what if we'd been sober and Mia wasn't an issue? Had Brittany even been with a girl before? She'd only talked about boys, so maybe it had just been a drunken, spurn of the moment thing. But glancing across at her, and finding her already watching me, I wondered if it had meant more to her than that. Whatever it was, I knew I had to be careful. We couldn't get in that situation again - and if Brittany really did like me, I couldn't hurt her by leading her on, accidental or not.

We wandered for hours. Several times we drifted out of the French Quarter, but Quinn and Mia quickly directed us back when they realised. Record stores and bars were everywhere, and multi-coloured beads scattered the floor, crunching under our feet. Music drifted down the streets - mostly jazz, but occasionally other stuff too. A multitude of restaurants and even street vendors advertised gumbo and po-boys and every type of seafood you could imagine. I'd never really had much of an opinion on New Orleans outside of the fact that it looked like a great party in March, but Tina and Brittany had insisted we go even though it wasn't Mardi Gras season. They'd been last year with some other friends and both loved it, and I was starting to understand why. It wasn't like any other place I'd ever visited, but the colours and music and wafting scents of so much good food were making me wish we had more than two days here. We popped in and out of interesting shops, paused to listen to buskers, and occasionally stopped to notice some leftover sign of Katrina. Apparently not everyone had got around to washing the search paint off their doors and garages yet.

It seemed like we had only seen a fraction of the streets there were to explore when my stomach began to complain. We'd had breakfast as early as possible in the hotel this morning, and apart from one giant bag of chips passed around, we hadn't eaten since.

"How about there?" I suggested, pointing to a promising-looking restaurant across the street that was advertising 'New Orlean's Best Jambalaya'. I doubted the truth of that claim, but it did smell amazing even from here.

"Well aren't we going to eat properly tonight, before we head out?"

"Oh... right," I replied with a nod, turning away from the restaurant in disappointment. It smelled so good.

"We could go to the market, it's pretty near I think," Mia said, pulling out her map again. "Yeah it is, just two blocks away."

"Are you sure? I thought it was the opposite side of the cathedral?"

"It is. We are."

I turned and found the steeple poking through a gap in the buildings to my right. Sometime in the past few hours I had completely lost my bearings.

"Maps are hard to read," Brittany said at my shoulder, giving me a reassuring smile.

I grinned back at her, unable to help myself. She didn't turn away, and just met my eyes. She stared at me for a few more seconds before finally pulling her gaze away to look at Mia instead.

"Can we go to the doughnut restaurant?"

"Beignets? Yeah I guess, we'll need to get something else too though. Can't have just sugar for lunch."

"Sounds like a good lunch to me," Brittany murmured under her breath as we started walking.

I leaned in so I could speak straight into her ear and no one else would hear.

"Same."

It only took about ten minutes to get to this "Cafe Du Monde", right on the end of the market. It was crawling with people - apparently these doughnuts were a New Orleans speciality. I'd never heard of them before, but I wasn't going to turn down doughnuts for lunch - especially when Brittany had suggested it. I still had to make it up to her for being a jerk all day yesterday.

It took about ten minutes of wandering before we found an empty table big enough for all five of us, then Tina and Mia wandered off to order. I leaned back in my chair, stretching my arms behind me. I knocked a woman walking past and quickly brought my arms back in. I reached into my bag instead, pulling out the rubik's cube resting in the bottom and starting to twist it. So far I'd only managed to get two squares of the whole thing aligned right.

"Where did you get that?" Quinn asked, leaning in to rest her elbows on the table and watch me. "And don't you know you're doing it wrong-"

"Shut it, Quinn. I'm gonna solve this without yours or anyone else's help."

"When did you even get it?"

I shrugged, my eyes darting across to Brittany.

"Last night."

"Is that what you guys were doing? Buying rubik's cubes?"

I glanced at Brittany again to judge her reaction. She was looking at me in exactly the same way. I sent her a brief smile, and she returned it before turning to Quinn.

"I bought it for her. Then we just talked in the bar. Didn't want to disturb you guys when you were sleeping."

Quinn shrugged, leaning back in her chair. "Well, at least you're talking again."

I stiffened, and even Brittany's eyes widened. She'd said it so nonchalantly… but her eyes flicked between us, analysing.

I said nothing, and Brittany followed my lead. I pretended to be concentrating on the rubik's cube, but really I wasn't even trying to solve it. I twisted it, flicking my eyes up to see if Quinn was still fishing. Her eyes met mine and she lifted one eyebrow, questioning. I quickly returned to the rubik's cube, just as Mia and Tina arrived back with a couple of plates that held more sugar than doughnuts. As long as we were around the others I was safe from Quinn's questions - but as soon as we were alone she'd start interrogating properly, and Quinn could always work out more than I thought I'd let on. I knew she only did it to try and look out for me which was why I never normally objected (too much, anyway) - but just this once, I wished she wouldn't.

* * *

My stomach was full and my brain already buzzing from the effects of two and a half cocktails as we left the restaurant. It would have been three cocktails if Brittany hadn't gulped down the rest of mine. I couldn't begrudge her for it though. Not when she was hanging onto my arm, giggling into my shoulder. I didn't know why she was giggling. She'd said something a second ago about shrimp and pirates. But I wasn't going to complain about the sensation of her laughing into the bare skin of my neck. A vague notion appeared that I probably shouldn't be thinking like that, but I pushed it away by simply turning to grab Mia's arm and pull her up next to me as well. She was more sober than the two of us, but not by much - those cocktails had been _strong_. Even Quinn and Tina were rambling away happily about something - well, Quinn was talking, and Tina was giggling at every word. It was really just a matter of time before Quinn blew up at her for not listening. I'd never been a fan of drunk Quinn - at least not when we were away from the boys of McKinley, because then she always found someone else to vent at. Quite often it was me.

"Quinn!" I shouted, thinking I should distract her. "Where are we going?"

"I don't know! I don't have a map!"

"We don't need a map!" Brittany shouted from next to me. "Just find a bar!"

I nodded my agreement, swinging an arm properly over her shoulders and then one over Mia's, keeping them both close. Mia leaned in to kiss my cheek and for a few seconds I waited for Brittany to do the same. I turned to her to demand why she wasn't. Her eyes snapped away from Mia and up to me, and I suddenly remembered I wasn't supposed to want her to do that. It was like alcohol was some Brittany-potion to me lately. I squeezed her shoulder lightly with one hand to try and reassure her, and she lit up again. She wiggled under my arm, pulling off her jacket, then leaned straight back into me.

"Hey, there's music this way!"

I changed direction suddenly to follow Quinn and Tina ahead, making both Mia and Brittany stumble. I began to hum along with the familiar song, tapping my fingers against their shoulders in time with it. It wasn't exactly musical genius, but it sure was fun to sing and dance to.

"_I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose, fire away, fire away… ricochet, you take your aim, fire away, fire away… you shoot me down, but I won't fall! I am titanium-!_"

"You're like a little songbird," Brittany murmured into my ear.

I faltered for a moment as I felt her lips brush the lobe of my ear, then stopped completely when I realised I had company and I was actually _singing_.

"Hey, don't stop!" she objected. "You sound really nice!"

I mumbled something under my breath about how singing was for the shower and professionals, but she wouldn't have it.

"Pretend we're not here! Pretend you're in the shower! Or you're a professional. You're good enough to be," she said with a wink. Her words slurred together, but that didn't prevent the uncomfortable stabbing reminder that I was definitely _not _good enough. Mia's arm tightened around my waist and I felt her lean more heavily into me.

"I'm not," I replied quietly.

"Yeah but-" She stopped short, blinking several times as she stared down at me, trying to understand. Even drunk, she'd realised that was the wrong thing to say. She seriously was a genius. I couldn't tell what I'd said wrong to Mia unless she straight out told me, and she was exactly the same with me. "Um... then sing because it's fun, and you're drunk, and you're in New Orleans! This is the music city!"

"Isn't that Nashville?"

"Well we're not going to Nashville are we? So this is like our own music city."

I almost walked straight into Tina, saving me from having to come up with a response to that. She was waiting for us with Quinn outside a club that was at least three storeys high. The thrum of the bass could be felt even outside, along with the ebbing roar of everyone already inside.

I had to pull my arms away from Brittany and Mia to locate my ID and money to get through the doors, and once inside it was so dark I could barely see them. People milled all around us, and the whole floor was dark except for spotlights shining down on the bars. I reached out, hands brushing both of theirs. I threaded my fingers through Mia's, and after a moment's hesitation linked my pinky with Brittany. I pulled her closer, so even though I only had a hold on one of her fingers, I could feel her arm brushing against mine.

"Drink?" I shouted in Mia's ear. I could just about see her nod through the dimness. I turned to Brittany to ask the same and found her already eagerly nodding.

I began to fight my way towards the bar, realising after only a few steps it would to be impossible to keep them beside me with how crowded it was. I pulled my hands away, turning to shout at both of them.

"I'll find you in a bit!"

Turning, I began to struggle my way back towards the bar. The large meal had somewhat detracted from the effects of the cocktails, and it was time to remedy that - we had a long night ahead of us.

* * *

The music hurled itself across the room, blaring into my ears for only a second before being replaced by the next beat, and the next, and the next. Sweaty bodies swirled around me, moving in time with the familiar song. I opened my mouth to shout out the chorus with everyone else, no longer caring. No one could hear me anyway - and even if they could, the alcohol swimming in my veins had stopped me trying to work that out hours ago. Had it been hours? Days? Minutes? Time didn't make sense. There was just the music, and the dancing, and the drinks.

Someone bumped against me harder than usual, then arms snaked around my waist. I spun my head around to check it wasn't some guy being a creep, but when I just found Brittany I relaxed.

"You're singing!" she shouted into my ear. She pulled back, managing to keep some distance between us even with her hands resting on my hips and the rest of the crowd milling around us. I didn't know whether to be disappointed or glad or something else I hadn't even thought of. Probably something I hadn't though of. It didn't feel like I was thinking very well. I turned, dancing as I did so and humming out more of the song. Lights flashed above, shining down on the dance floor every couple of seconds. I could make out Tina nearby, but the others were too far away, or I wasn't looking in the right place. How had Brittany found me? It was hard to find people in here.

"Where's Mia?" I yelled. She frowned at me, and I stepped closer to speak straight into her ear. "_Where's Mia?_" I repeated, pulling back in time to notice that her frown had deepened. "Brittany?"

"I don't know!" she replied. At least, I thought that was what she said. The music was so loud I couldn't actually see her, but her lips made the sort of shape lips do when someone says 'I don't know'. "Come with me!"

I did hear her that time, but even if I hadn't her hand found mine and pulled, paving the way for us both to escape the crowd. She paused whenever we got a little too separated, tugging me through until we were at the side of the dancefloor - and then outside?

"Britt, where're we goin'?" I mumbled. My voice came out louder than expected, and I winced. Even I could hear how my words slurred together. I had no idea how much I'd drunk, but the street seemed to be spinning. It looked different to before. Had we moved and I just couldn't remember? No, I was sure that was the same club we'd gone into at the start of the night. So_ why_ did the street look different? It didn't make sense. "Doesn't make sense..."

She laughed, tugging me to her with the hand that was still clasped in mine, until she pulled that away to wrap her arms around me. I closed my eyes, burying my head into the crook of her neck and clinging onto her. It took me a few seconds of that before I realised I could feel a lot more bare skin than I should. I took an unsteady step back, and almost toppled over completely when I took in the sight of Brittany wearing only a skirt and bra.

"_Brittany!_" I squeaked, fumbling with the zip of my leather jacket. I got it off quickly, pushing it at her. She opened her mouth to protest, and I shook my head. "No, put it on! You'll get sick, it's not _that_ warm!"

"Well it was in there, that was why I wanted to come outside..." she said with a sigh, pulling on the jacket. It was a little short for her, and she didn't zip it all the way up - but at least now it was easier to focus on her face. "Sorry. You wanted to look for Mia," she added, hands clasped in front of her and gazing back inside the club.

I looked over as well and was certain this time that it was a different entrance to where we'd gone inside to start with. Squinting, I could just about make out light across the dancefloor. We must be on the other side of the building. That made more sense now.

I turned back to Brittany to tell her I'd solved the mystery of the different street, but found her watching me with an anxious expression and remembered what she'd just said. I shook my head.

"No, no, don't worry! I was just wondering, I haven't seen her all night. I think. I'm not sure. Maybe I did..." I frowned, trying to remember if I'd been dancing with Mia earlier or Quinn. Probably Mia. Quinn wouldn't let me dance with her like that. "Okay I think I did. Never mind." She tilted her head, confused, and I grinned at her. "Don't worry. Come on," I said, grabbing her hand again and beginning to pull her away from the club.

"What? Where are we going?"

"Well I dunno. But you wanted to come outside. So we should go look for more interesting places outside than just here. Can't you hear all the other music?" I asked, spinning around to spread out my arms. Except I forgot I was holding her hand, so I ended up yanking her to one side as I did so. "Sorry, sorry!"

"What about the others?"

"What about them? We'll come back soon, once you've had enough of outside. But one night in New Orleans, we gotta make the most of it!"

She grinned at that, nodding eagerly and stepping close to wrap her other arm around me, halting me mid-step with a hug. I giggled into her shoulder when she lifted our joined hands and moved her arm around my waist, so it was like we were dancing. A rush of memories from that night in LA appeared, stopping my laughter. I sighed in content instead, until she pulled away to step back in besides me, leaning in to whisper in my ear. "You should sing."

"Sing what?"

"Whatever you want."

I hesitated. I didn't sing in front of people. Not anymore. It just brought back bad memories. But this was New Orleans. The city of music. Or not... but Brittany said it was. And I was just with Brittany. Other people passed us occasionally, but no one paid us any attention. She squeezed my hand, and her silent encouragement made me brave enough to begin - even if it was quietly.

"_He left no time to regret, kept his lips wet, with his same old safe bet-_"

She perked up, beaming at me already but not saying anything. My confidence grew, and I raised my voice.

"_You went back to what you knew, so far removed from all that we went through, and I tread a troubled track, my odds are stacked, I'll go back to black-_"

Brittany's smile and the tight hold she had on my hand kept me going. I didn't look at anything else - even though this was meant to be us exploring New Orleans some more. She never looked away either, though. All her attention was on me.

"_We only said good-bye with words, I died a hundred times… You go back to her, and I go back to black…_" I finished with a flourish, giving her a mock bow when she pulled her hand away from mine to applaud. I grinned at her, my head buzzing and my heart beating fast. It had been so long since I'd sang for someone like that. The smile fell off my face when I became aware of a few other people around us clapping. So much for no one paying attention. I didn't know what to think. I hadn't wanted them to listen. But hearing people appreciate my singing again brought back a familiar rush I hadn't felt in so long. I still recognised it through my alcohol-ridden state.

Brittany found my hand again and squeezed, giving me a few seconds to recover before lifting her hand to point at a building to our right. It took me longer than it probably should have to work out exactly what she was talking about - the crowd throwing beads off the balcony to the left was a little distracting - but when my eyes fell on the 'Jazzed Ink' sign my heart started beating even faster. I turned back to her and found her biting her lip, but the excitement in her eyes was easy to spot.

"What d'you think?"

I looked again, between her and the tattoo parlour, uncertain. When I'd added tattoo to my bucket list I hadn't actually been expecting to do any of those things. But I had wanted to get one for years...

"I don't know what though."

"So let's go in and see what designs there are. And if we don't like them we'll leave," she suggested.

I hesitated for a few seconds more before nodding firmly, tightening my hold on her hand as I started walking towards the building. It was large - which was reassuring. One time I'd mentioned tattoos to my dad and he'd gone off in a rant about the dangers of unlicensed tattoo parlours and a whole load of other stuff I couldn't remember right now. I didn't make any effort to remember. I was just going to look, anyway. Just walking inside didn't mean I had to go ahead with getting a tattoo.

We slipped through the already open door together, my arm brushing against hers. The reception area was smaller than I'd expected, but all around were photos of tattoos. To one side was a desk, and the woman there called out a greeting to us. Several large binders were laid out on the table on the opposite side of the room, next to a couple of worn sofas. Brittany pulled me towards them, opening one and beginning to flick through the design. I glanced over her shoulder to look at a few, but I was more interested in the photos on the walls. They were real tattoos - you could see how they looked on skin. It wasn't just an outline on a bit of paper. I skimmed over dragons and flowers and celtic designs. The framed photos were obviously the highlights. One woman had what looked like an entire tree tattooed over her back, while a wrinkled old man in the framed picture next door proudly sported an intricate circle design with names flowing through it. I shifted my attention back to the smaller pictures. I had an idea of how expensive tattoos could be from previous research, and there was no way I was getting one that big. Plus if I got something small, I could hide it from my dad pretty easily.

One picture in particular caught my eye and I took a step towards it to get a closer look. I stopped when I felt resistance, and realised Brittany's hand was still in mine. I looked back at her to see her flip the folder shut and smile.

"What?"

I pulled her hand again, intentionally this time, leading her to the picture I had my eye on. It was a cricket, with music notes coming from its mouth, tattooed onto someone's ankle.

"It's pretty," she murmured into my ear. I could feel the pressure of her body against my back as she leaned in to get a closer look.

"Yeah, but I don't wanna cricket tattooed on me..."

"So get something else. What animal do you want?"

"I dunno," I sighed. I attempted to scan the rest of the pictures nearby, but my eyes unfocussed and I leaned back against Brittany. "What d'you think?"

"I think you need to decide."

"Yeah but I can't."

"Well think."

I grumbled wordlessly under my breath, closing my eyes and leaning my head back on her shoulder as I tried to come up with something.

"Dragons are cool," I mumbled, giggling a second later as I remembered telling her I wanted one as a pet. But dragons were too cliche to get as a tattoo. Plus Quinn would forever be making Harry Potter references if I did. "What are you gonna get?"

"I like that," she replied. I felt her arm move to gesture, and opened my eyes again to find her pointing at the same picture. "But I don't want to get a cricket either. Maybe a duck..."

"A duck?" I repeated, standing up straight and turning to stare at her. Was she joking? Was I missing the joke? "A _duck_?"

"Don't hate on ducks, they're awesome! And it's like... representing this trip. Like a bird's eye view. You know? Like on maps? I don't know..." She shrugged, ending her attempt to explain the reasoning behind a freaking _duck_ tattoo. "They have a really cool duck tattoo in that folder, anyway. Maybe there's something there you'll like."

I let her lead me back to the table. I plopped down on the sofa next to her and she pushed the folder at me, turning the pages to get to where a surprisingly good duck design stood alone in the corner of a page of birds.

"Doesn't it look great?"

I shrugged, lifting an eyebrow at her. Her mouth dropped open to argue and I grinned, elbowing her.

"Yeah it's great," I told her, my eyes wandering over the rest of the page. The bird designs were quite nice, really. And birds weren't stuck on the ground. They could soar above regular people. Then there was bird's eye view, and all that stuff Brittany said. There was some meaning in that, right? Tattoos were meant to have meaning. "I... I think I might get this," I murmured, pointing to one bird that was nicely designed. "With the music notes too. Like it's singing."

I looked over at Brittany to gauge her reaction. She nodded, biting her lip, but it didn't hide away all of her smile. "You should. It's perfect."

"It is?" I asked in surprise.

She nodded again. "It's like you. A little songbird."

I remembered her using that phrase earlier, when I'd been singing without thinking... and suddenly she was right. Completely right. It was perfect.

"Okay then."

"…Okay?" she repeated, eyes widening with excitement.

"Yep. Let's do it."

* * *

**Please note this hasn't been beta'd (because I keep finishing writing on the Saturday and then my beta is busy… need to stop doing that). So apologies for any mistakes.**

**Pictures of the tattoos can be found on my tumblr here: laurasfantasia. tumblr .com  
/****post/37975260170/diad-tattoo**

**EDIT: I'm taking a break from writing this over Christmas - got a busy few weeks and I want to concentrate on getting Bumpy Ride edited. **


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